GPHC, back to the drawing board on this one

Jan 04, 2020 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,

We refer to the article in Kaieteur News, December 28, 2019, “40 Nurses at GPHC now fluent in French and Spanish”. We wish to question both the accuracy of the headline and the wisdom of training nurses in French for meeting the health needs of Haitian immigrants who attempt to access the facilities of the GPHC, as is stated in the article.
To be sure, Director of Nursing Keith Alonzo and other relevant public health authorities are to be highly commended for their recognition of the centrality of language in accessing health care. But it is highly unlikely that anyone could become fluent in a foreign language, as stated in the headline, in a six-month programme. More importantly, however, ‘lessening the language barrier’ between us Guyanese and our CARICOM brothers and sisters from Haiti would not require Guyanese to know French, but Haitian Creole.

We present some examples here:

English French (Francais) Haitian Creole (Ayisyen)
Thank you very much. Tresbien, merci. / Merci beaucoup. Mwenbyenmèsi. / Mèsianpil.
Excuse me. Excuse moi. Eskizemwen.
I don’t know. Je ne sais pas. Mwen pa konnen.
I am coming. Je viens M’apvini.
I am late this morning Je suis en retard cematin Mwenanretamaten an.
Wait for me. Attends moi. Tannmwen.
I would like you to understand me. Je veuxquetu me comprennes. M’vleoukomprannmwen.
I cannot hear you. Je n’entends pas. Mwen pas tandeou.
Do you exercise regularly? Faitesvousl’exerciseregilièrement. Ou fèegzèsisregilye?
Have you taken your medicine? Avezvousprievotre medicament? Ou tepranmedikamanouyo?
Where do you feel the pain? Ou ressenstu la douleur? Ki koteousantidoulè a?

As the examples show, there are huge differences between Haitian Creole and French, greater than the differences between French and Italian or between Italian and Spanish. You cannot use French to communicate with someone who only speaks Haitian, especially in emergency situations such as those of a hospital. Furthermore, the Haitian Constitution lists Haitian Creole and French as the two official languages of the Republic, but identifies Haitian Creole as the language which unites all Haitians. In reality, this means that it is the only language that ALL Haitians can be presumed to speak, irrespective of class or colour.
It is extremely important that we, as Guyanese take the trouble to understand the language situations in each of our CARICOM partner countries. Over-simple labels like ‘Dutch-speaking’, ‘French-speaking’ and ‘English-speaking’ make no sense when we understand the real situation on the ground.
GHPC, back to the drawing board on this one.

Yours respectfully,
Hubert Devonish
Charlene Wilkinson
Kesnel Toussaint
Jeuve Cherizol