Montserrat Calypsonian “Shorty” in Urgent Need of UK Medical Care

Montserratian calypsonian Robert Baker, affectionately known as “Shorty,” is fighting for his life in Jamaica as he awaits urgent medical treatment that doctors say is unavailable in Montserrat.

Baker, 63, travelled to Antigua and then Jamaica earlier this year in search of care after exhausting his savings to cover mounting medical costs. Friends and supporters have raised funds to help, but his condition remains critical, and appeals are being made for him to be transferred to the UK where life-saving treatment could be provided through the NHS.

Donaldson Romeo, Opposition Member of the Legislative Assembly, has written to UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy urging the government to intervene. Romeo is calling on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to secure Baker’s transfer to the UK, warning that delays in care could cost him his life.

“This is particularly tragic and indefensible given that such urgent medical treatment is unavailable in Montserrat,” Romeo wrote. He described Baker’s plight as “a test of the UK’s commitment to the equal worth of all its citizens.”

Baker’s situation came to light in Romeo’s letter to Lammy about Jamaica-born Montserratian Cherry Brown who was denied free healthcare in the UK after being sent for treatment by the Montserrat government.

Baker, a mechanic by trade, has been an active member of Montserrat’s community for nearly two decades. He is also a well-known performer on the island’s calypso stage and a regular in the calypso eliminations.

Supporters in Montserrat and abroad have rallied to raise funds, but the cost of medical treatment has already exceeded £8,000. Without urgent assistance, Romeo warned, Baker may be unable to continue receiving the care he needs in Jamaica.

Romeo argues that the UK has a legal and moral duty to support Baker and others in his situation. “In this instance you have the opportunity, means, legal and moral authority to renounce a blatant double standard and demonstrate through your treatment of BOT passport holders in desperate need that the life of every citizen carries equal value and dignity,” he wrote.

Baker’s case has drawn attention to the wider issue of Montserrat’s limited health facilities, nearly three decades after the Soufrière Hills eruption forced the evacuation of the island’s capital and crippled its hospital services. Patients with serious conditions such as kidney disease, cancer, or advanced heart problems must still travel overseas for treatment.