Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Kirk Humphrey has called out some Barbadians for their gross mistreatment of and disrespect towards the elderly.Speaking during a debate in the Lower Chamber on Tuesday, on a resolution to approve the compulsory acquisition of lands by the state of Lot 5A, Waterford St Michael, for the public purpose of constructing a new District Hospital, Humphrey responded to claims made by Barbadians that the government was spending too much money on the new facility.The minister, who spoke at a recent town hall meeting about the need to strengthen the protections and the rights of the elderly, said it was “disrespectful” to frame the new facility for the elderly merely in dollars and cents.“There is a concern by some that perhaps this geriatric hospital is costing a lot of money and perhaps the government is spending too much money, when they add up, on caring for the elderly. The cost of not doing it, I think, is beyond the imagination of all of us. Not only because our society is ageing at an extremely rapid rate, but it is so disrespectful for us to get in here [Parliament] and weigh in dollars and cents, about how much value should [go] to helping the old people who built this country,” he strongly stated.
