An elitist attitude appears to be blocking Barbadians from top specialised medical care here.
That, and the red tape associated with setting up businesses and building, could also be forcing those who can afford it to spend excessive sums at hospitals in North America.
The extent of the problem was highlighted last week by a senior official of a Bajan construction firm whose company had been solicited for a quote related to a new private hospital in a neighbouring island.
The official explained that one of the people behind that venture, a United States-based medical specialist with Bajan roots, had been engaged in extensive work to have the facility built here, but gave up in frustration because of the “attitude of some Bajan doctors” and the slow pace of getting permission.