• Warrens Tower II, Warrens, St Michael – Monday, July 22.
• Emerald City Carpark, Six Roads, St Philip – Tuesday, July 23.
• National Insurance and Social Security Service, Culloden Road, St Michael – Wednesday, July 24.
• Queen’s Park, Constitution Road, St. Michael – Thursday, July 25.

The services being provided are routine screening for non-communicable diseases, Prostate-specific antigen testing, blood pressure checks and blood sugar testing, HbA1c , screening for sexually transmitted infections, breast examination and teaching, and Tetanus Toxoid vaccines.

The post Reminder of Mobile Clinic locations and times for this week appeared first on Barbados Today.

The Vector Control Unit will take its fogging programme to St George and St John, this week.

The Unit will visit both parishes on Monday when it carries out its fogging exercise in Wakefield Road, Four Road, Lemon Arbour Village, Bayley Alley, Sweet Vale, Butcher Road, Brathwaite Road, and Golden Ridge.

The team will focus on St George, for the rest of the week. On Tuesday the Unit will spray Paradise Village Nos. 1 to 3, Roach Village, Applewhaites, Lucas Hall Tenantry Road, Lucas Heights, Belair Nos.1 and 2, Upper Belair, Jericho, and surrounding areas.

It will be the turn of Cottage Heights, Cottage Crescent, Grove Tenantry, Market Hill, Bridge Cot, Grove Cottage, Bridge Cot Terrace, Old Post Office Road, Cottage Court West, Cottage Crescent Drive, Moon Shine Close, and St Helens, when the Unit fogs on Wednesday.

The next day the following districts will be sprayed:1st and 2nd Lower Newbury, Newbury, Fusilier Road, Rose Hill, Taitt Hill, and Newbury Heights.

The fogging exercise for the week will conclude on Friday in Salisbury, Hope Road, Free Hill, Workmans, and environs.

Fogging takes place from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. daily. Householders are reminded to open their windows and doors to allow the spray to enter. Children should not be allowed to play in the fog.

Members of the public are advised that the completion of scheduled fogging activities may be affected by events beyond the Unit’s control. In such circumstances, the Unit will return to communities affected in the soonest possible time.

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The following communities will be fogged on Monday: Sealy Hall, Consett Bay Cul-de-sac, Codrington, Sargeant Street, Welch Town, Coach Hill, Haynes Hill, and Colleton Gardens.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Cliff Cottage, Colleton Tenantry, Glebe Land, Pothouse, Edge Cliff, Hothersal Tenantry, Edge Cliff Gardens, Malvern, and surrounding areas will be visited by the Unit.

The team will spray Clifton Hall, Church View, New Castle, New Castle Park, Zores, Martin’s Bay, St Margaret’s Village, and Glenburnie on Wednesday.

On Thursday, the districts which will be targeted are Hackleton’s Cliff, Horton Village, Venture Nos. 1 to 4, Mount Tabor Heights, Sherbourne Nos. 1 to 3, Sherbourne Gardens, Wilson Hill, Claybury Tenantry, and Easy Hall.

The fogging exercise for the week will conclude in St. Michael, on Friday, July 19. The Unit will go into Henry Dunant Road, 1st to 3rd North Friendship Drive, Friendship Terrace, 1st to 3rd Lowland Drive, Green Hill Main Road, Mahaica Gap, Storey Gap, and Lewis Gap.

Fogging takes place from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. daily. Householders are reminded to open their windows and doors to allow the spray to enter. Children should not be allowed to play in the fog.

Members of the public are advised that the completion of scheduled fogging activities may be affected by events beyond the Unit’s control. In such circumstances, the Unit will return to communities affected in the soonest possible time.

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The Ministry of Health and Wellness strongly refutes a statement made in a section of the press that indicated Barbadians’ health was at risk during the recently concluded T20 Men’s Cricket World Cup.

The facts are as follows:

During Cricket World Cup, the Ministry of Health and Wellness, in conjunction with the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), instituted a real-time surveillance system to capture all possible public health events that could have occurred. We received daily reports on the status of public health during all of the Cricket World Cup matches.

The surveillance started before, during, and a week after Cricket World Cup. At no time was there any infectious disease outbreak that warranted public health intervention.

The management of public health during the World Cup was commendable and the public remained safe at all times.

We deployed several environmental health and surveillance officers, along with public health nurses, to ensure our surveillance was strengthened throughout the Cricket World Cup.

With respect to Hill Milling Co. Ltd., the environmental health team in the Ministry of Health and Wellness is working with the management of Hill Milling to ensure the food supply remains safe.

There is no outbreak associated with Hill Milling Co. Ltd., and we will continue to work with the company to have outstanding matters resolved.

The Ministry encourages the public to use reputable sources and refrain from using unofficial and unverified sources to obtain their information.

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Prominent singer Jan Keiser, the daughter of renowned songstress Carlyn Leacock, has appealed for public support following costly hip replacement surgery in Lithuania.

The former Spice and Company lead singer who is a central member of the praise team at the First Baptist Church underwent the procedure to address injuries stemming from a near-fatal car accident several decades ago.

Her uncle, Pastor Paul Leacock, told Barbados TODAY that the collision, which involved a lorry overtaking another vehicle and colliding with Keiser’s car, left her with lasting physical trauma that eventually necessitated the operation.

“Not one to remain quiet for long, Jan looks forward to returning to ministering on Sundays at her First Baptist Church and at all the other forums where she performs occasionally,” Pastor Leacock said.

To assist with significant medical expenses and ongoing therapy costs, a benefit concert, For the Love of Jan, will be held on Saturday at 6.30 p.m., at the First Baptist Church on Constitution Road. Admission is free and attendees are encouraged to donate generously.

The event will feature performances from numerous artists, including Tamara Marshall, Paula Hinds, ZigE Walcott, Pastor Leacock, and the First Baptist chorale and liturgical dancers.

The concert organisers hope the community will rally behind Keiser, described as “one of the beloved members of the Leacock clan of singers”, as she recovers and aims to resume her musical activities.

Now back home recuperating, Keiser said she was surprised that several other Barbadians have had surgeries at the same facility she attended in Lithuania.

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Several areas in St Michael and St James will be sprayed by the Ministry of Health’s Vector Control Unit this week, as it seeks to eliminate mosquito breeding sites.

The Unit will focus on St Michael for the first four days of the week.

On Monday it will target Henry Dunant Road,1st to 3rd North Friendship Drive, Friendship Terrace, 1st to 3rd Lowland Drive, Green Hill Main Road, Mahaica Gap, Storey Gap, Lewis Gap, and surrounding districts.

The following day the team will fog Small Land, Green Hill Main Road, Green Hill Nos. 1 to 4, Eden Lodge, Lakes Close, Johnson Land, Sorrel Lane, Middle Lane, White Hall Road, Medford Road, White Hall Nos.1 to 3, White Hall Terrace, White Hall Main Road, and environs.

Communities including Austin Drive Nos. 1 to 7, Eden Lodge Housing Area, Lodge Hill, Emerald Drive, Sapphire Drive, Garnet Drive, Topaz Drive, Lodge Hill Terrace, Pearl Drive, and Peach Court will be targeted on Wednesday.

On Thursday the Unit will visit Lodge Crescent, Lodge Hill, Rock Dundo Heights, Well Gap Nos. 1 to 4, Rock Dundo Park with avenues, White Hall Main Road, and Sunny Side Garden.

The fogging exercise for the week will conclude on Friday in St James, in the following districts: Hoytes Village, Canewood Road, Bagatelle Terrace with avenues, and Hoytes Terrace.

Fogging takes place from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. daily. Householders are reminded to open their windows and doors to allow the spray to enter.

Members of the public are advised that the completion of scheduled fogging activities may be affected by events beyond the Unit’s control. In such circumstances, the Unit will return to communities affected in the soonest possible time.

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Staff at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital laboratory staged a walkout on Friday in protest against severe health hazards in their working environment.

The action follows years of complaints about perilous and unacceptable conditions that have persisted despite repeated appeals for improvement.

“The laboratory staff has been extremely patient and long-suffering,” Deputy General Secretary of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW)

Wayne Walrond told Barbados TODAY. “For several years, the staff . . . have been plagued with environmental problems.”

He said these issues have led to serious health complications among the staff, including acute respiratory ailments.

“Some workers would have experienced coughing with blood, and workers have been extremely distressed by the discomfort caused by the presence of mould,” the union official disclosed.

The QEH laboratory is not just an ageing facility but one that has become increasingly unfit for purpose, Walrond declared.

While management has made attempts to address the situation through interim measures such as cleaning, these efforts have proven insufficient. “The cleaning will have to be even more frequent if staff are to continue to function in the interim,” he stressed.

Walrond has called for the fast-tracking of a new facility, a project that has been in discussion for several years but has yet to materialise.

“It’s a matter of the situation with the lab and having to have proper accommodation,” he stated. “This must be dealt with as a matter of urgency.”

The NUPW official emphasised that the current state of the laboratory is untenable, and it is critical for the health and safety of the staff that a new, suitable facility be built as soon as possible.

A meeting with QEH management has been scheduled to discuss the matter further.

“The union will lend support to staff in any representation that would be required and will make itself available for the meeting,” Walrond said.

He pointed out that the issues faced by the QEH laboratory are part of a larger problem affecting many buildings, both old and new, across the island. Walrond called for a comprehensive discussion with various stakeholders, including builders, environmentalists, health professionals, and labour representatives, to focus on the design and construction of buildings in Barbados.

The NUPW deputy general secretary further called for a more proactive approach to safety and health.

Walrond stressed the need for comprehensive safety and health policies across both the public and private sectors and advocated for safety and health practices to be integrated into personal lives.

“Safety and health are our business on the job and off the job,” he said, urging a more holistic approach to living a safe and healthy life.

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Corporate Communications Specialist at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Shane Sealy told Barbados TODAY that operations had resumed as usual yesterday evening as there had been “very, very minor damage” at the Martindales Road facility and most had already been addressed.

“Once the national shutdown was discontinued and the all-clear was given, we resumed normal services and visiting hours from six o’clock. Meanwhile, our clinics will open as normal (today) as well as our pharmacies,” he said.

Sealy also advised those patients whose surgeries or appointments were postponed due to the passage of the weather system to contact the hospital’s Patient Advice and Liaison Service at 536-4800 to be rescheduled.

“We are getting things back on track and we want them to reach out to us so we could let them know what to do,” he added.

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CEO of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) Neil Clark has assured that patients and staff at the public hospital are safe amid the passage of Hurricane Beryl.

Speaking on CBC a short while ago, he said the QEH had survived the worst of the Category 3 hurricane, with only a few minor leaks reported.

“I’ve walked around last night, I’ve walked around the different departments and units; it feels very calm and the wind has been quite kind to us so far. It’s been a little bit rougher now this morning, it’s picking up a little bit. We’ve had a few minor leaks but no major damage or no major incident at all. We’re keeping the patients safe, we’re keeping the staff safe, we’re feeding everybody and we’re looking after everybody,” he assured.

“So if you’re at home and you’re worried about your patients or your family members who might be staff, please be assured everything is calm and under control at the hospital.”

Clark confirmed that clinics and theatres for elective surgery remain closed today. He said the aim is to have those reopen from tomorrow.

“As soon as we get the all clear, we’ll review the facilities and the aim would be to allow the outpatient clinics and the theatres to recommence tomorrow. But we’ll have to check the facilities. It will be dependent on the all clear time and we’ll be communicating later on today if that’s the plan that we’ll be bringing the patients back in for clinics and theatres on Tuesday,” the hospital CEO said.

According to Clark, a few patients had turned up at the Accident and Emergency Department during the passage of Hurricane Beryl but the department was “quite calm”.

“I’ve have been down to meet the team. It’s a nice change for them to have that calmness, to catch up with the patients who were in the department before the hurricane started and to move through those patients and to prepare us, I suppose, for after the lockdown is [discontinued] and the patients maybe want to come back out. We should be ready to receive any patients as soon as there’s a need to do that,” he said.

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To facilitate this, the hospital pharmacy is extending opening hours Saturday, June 29, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and it will also be open on Sunday, June 30 from 8:30 p.m. to 2 p.m., the QEH said in a statement.

Patients who have already placed orders through the Medication Delivery Service will have their medication delivered over the weekend.

Further information is available at the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS/Help Desk) at 536-4800 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., via regular or WhatsApp calls.

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