The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) has temporarily scaled back surgical services as it undertakes major upgrades to its Main Operating Theatre’s air handling system and supporting equipment.

The hospital announced in a statement on Wednesday that it is in the process of replacing, redesigning, and upgrading the Air Handler Unit (AHU) system, while also addressing technical issues with the chillers that support the AHU.

Completion of the project is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, May 21, 2025, weather permitting and barring unforeseen delays.

During this period, only emergency and urgent surgeries will be performed at the QEH. Some procedures have been relocated to the Obstetrics Theatre, and the hospital is working with partner institutions to conduct elective surgeries offsite where possible.

In a statement, the QEH assured the public that these adjustments are necessary to improve the reliability and efficiency of its surgical services.

For further assistance, patients may contact the QEH Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS/Help Desk) at 536-4800.

The works being carried out are part of the hospital’s $130 million Capital Expenditure (CapEx) Programme for 2025, which is aimed at modernising its infrastructure and improving care delivery.

The post Only emergency surgeries at QEH for at least another week appeared first on Barbados Today.

The Food In Our Schools Matters calls on governments to #ActOnFacts and implement strong school nutrition policies that allow and encourage children and the school community to make healthier food choices.

Addressing unhealthy food environments – and by extension childhood obesity – requires bold legislative actions, to not only increase access to nutritious foods, healthier snacks and drinking water, but limit the sale and marketing of unhealthy foods and drinks in schools.

The campaign was originally launched on September 7th to October 16th, 2022. It was relaunched as a social media only campaign on May 5th, 2025 for four weeks

Read/download the press release here.

Jump to the campaign resources.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

The health of our region is the wealth of our region. We need to invest in prevention policies which target our most precious resource – our children
Sir Trevor Hassell, President, Healthy Caribbean Coalition

With one in three Caribbean children living with overweight and obesity, the region is on a dangerous trajectory towards a future with an even greater non-communicable disease (NCD) burden. NCDs such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer remain the leading causes of premature death in the Caribbean, and children living with overweight and obesity are more likely to develop NCDs at a younger age. Unhealthy diets dominated by ultra-processed foods (UPFs) high in sugar, fats and salt are the primary cause of childhood obesity and its related NCDs.

Early childhood is a critical time for obesity prevention, as eating habits established when young can last a lifetime. Children spend much of their time in school, yet across the Caribbean region, food and beverage offerings in schools largely consist of unhealthy, ultra-processed foods such as sweet drinks, cookies and other ‘junk foods’.

Our children deserve better. School food environments should promote good health and nutrition, and support students in making healthy food choices.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Governments and Policymakers: Invest in evidence based prevention policies. Allocate adequate budgets to support, implement, monitor and enforce school nutrition policies that include regulating the sale and marketing of unhealthy foods and drinks in schools, while increasing access to nutritious foods, healthier snacks and drinking water. These policies have been endorsed by CARICOM Heads of Government and recommended by WHO/PAHO, CARPHA, UNICEF, HCC, Ministries of Health and other key stakeholders.

HCC has launched three new publications focused on Regulating the Availability and Marketing of Unhealthy Beverages and Food Products in and around Schools in the Caribbean, you can access the summary here or all three publications here.

Parents and caregivers: Share the campaign materials with your networks. Recognise that policy plays a powerful role in creating environments that make the healthier choice, the easy choice. Talk to your child’s school administrators and your local policymakers in Ministries of Education and Health, about the need for strong, nutrition policies that allow and encourage children and the school community to make healthier food choices. Our children deserve better from schools.

CAMPAIGN RESOURCES

The campaign uses largely monochrome imagery: playing on the concept that the link between our children’s health and diet is simply ‘black and white’.

We encourage you to share the campaign materials in your networks, please contact us to gain access to the hi-res, different sized images for sharing.

Social Media Cards

CAMPAIGN AT A GLANCE

Launch Date: The campaign was originally launched on September 7th to October 16th, 2022. It was relaunched as a social media only campaign on May 5th, 2025 for four weeks.

Locale: Regional/Caribbean

Type: Digital Media Campaign

Purpose: To build public and policymaker support for policies that limit the sale and marketing of unhealthy foods and drinks in and around schools, while increasing the availability of nutritious foods, healthier snacks and drinking water.

CAMPAIGN METRICS

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OUR PARTNERS

VIDEO

WEBINAR

Webinar

On Wednesday October 5th, 2022 the Healthy Caribbean Coalition and it’s partners hosted a webinar entitled #ActOnFacts – The Food In Our Schools Matter.
In this webinar distinguished panellists and speakers discuss lessons learned around the implementation of healthy school policies across the Caribbean, and share a new resource to assist CARICOM countries in harmonising healthy school policy regulation.

OTHER RESOURCES

Civil Society action Plan 2017-2021: Preventing Childhood Obesity in the Caribbean
Read/Download

Civil Society Policy Brief: Priority Nutrition Policies for Healthy Children in the Caribbean
Read/Download

Healthy Caribbean Coalition’s Childhood Obesity Prevention (COP) Portal
Read more

Report – Regulating the Availability and Marketing of Unhealthy Beverages and Food Products in and around Schools in the Caribbean Read/download

Model Policy and Legislative Guidance for Regulating the Availability and Marketing of Unhealthy Beverages and Food Products in and around Schools in the Caribbean Read/download

Summary – Policy and Legislative Guidance for Regulating the Availability and Marketing of Unhealthy Beverages and Food Products in and around Schools in the Caribbean Read/download

The post The Food In Our Schools Matters and Policy Can Make a Difference appeared first on Healthy Caribbean Coalition.

A Ministry of Health nursing assistant is wanted by the police for allegedly creating public mischief and attempting to pervert and obstruct the course of justice by claiming that she was present at the post-mortem examination of the body of 11-year-old Adriana Younge. A woman’s voice is heard on the recording claiming that “Frank” told ...

Almost all eligible persons in Region Nine (Upper Takatu-Upper Essequibo) have taken the vaccine that protects against the human papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause cervical cancer, Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony said Sunday. “I was just in Region Nine a day ago (Saturday) and I was talking to the people there and I was ...

Two forensic pathologists from the United States (US) are due in Guyana to conduct the autopsy on the body of 11-year-old Adriana Younge, which was found in a pool at Double Day Hotel, Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo. The Ministry of Health has added Dr Glenn A. Rudner, a forensic and anatomic pathologist affiliated with Mount ...

Officials are moving ahead with reforms to Barbados’ mental health care system, including the launch of a national Employee Care Programme to support the well-being of health care workers.

The announcement was made by Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Davidson Ishmael, during the Psychiatric Hospital’s Awards Ceremony held on Saturday night at Mahogany Ridge.

Cyd Birch- Prescott (right) received the Grace Bailey Award, presented by Psychiatric Hospital Director David Leacock.

Themed Excellence Should Be Our Hallmark, the event honoured outstanding staff and long-serving members of the hospital community.
Minister Ishmael outlined a vision for Barbados’ mental health system. “I have a vision that this Psychiatric Hospital and its team will be a sterling example, the standard bearers, the gold standard of mental health care in the Caribbean and maybe even the world,” he declared.

“The Government of Barbados, through the Ministry of Health and Wellness, remains steadfast in its commitment to investing in a modern, people-centred mental health system. We do not only speak of reform, we act on it, and we act boldly because we believe that mental health is not a privilege; it is a right.”

Recent reforms include the strategic expansion of community-based mental health services with the integration of multidisciplinary teams—psychologists, social workers, and other professionals—into the island’s polyclinic network.

“These teams are now more present and better integrated across our network of polyclinics, ensuring that all citizens regardless of income, geography, or background have access to comprehensive mental health services close to their homes,” the minister said.

Infrastructure upgrades are also underway. The hospital’s outpatient department is slated for reopening, and renovations to the observation ward are in progress to ensure alignment with international standards.

Another initiative is a national training plan to ensure that both clinical and interpersonal skills align with global standards. The focus will be on patient rights, de-escalation techniques, and the integration of physical and mental health services. To strengthen early detection and frontline care, public health nurses are being trained in Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) competencies to better support individuals experiencing mental health challenges.

“I call upon all staff to appreciate and maximise the investment being made, not only in the physical plant or the technology, but in you, our most important assets,” Ishmael told the hospital workers.

Reflecting on the purpose of the evening, he noted, “This event is a celebration of dedication, of excellence, and of the unwavering commitment to service that defines each and every one of you who are here tonight.

“In mental health, excellence takes in even deeper meaning. It requires not only clinical knowledge and technical skill, but profound empathy, patience, resilience and an unwavering belief in human dignity.”

He encouraged a society-wide approach to mental health advocacy, noting that “many people need a lifting hand, a word of comfort—sometimes just a hug—and that can help them to come back to reality”.

During the ceremony, awards were presented in recognition of long service and outstanding contributions. Recipients of the Hospital Director’s Awards were Selvin Greenidge, Michelle Moore, and Rodney Stuart. The prestigious Grace Bailey Award was presented to Cyd Birch-Prescott. Soca performer Peter Ram was one of the recipients of the Friends of Psychi Awards for his continued support of their initiatives.

The post Government to launch mental health support programme for health workers appeared first on Barbados Today.

Paediatricians and surgeons in Guyana would this week benefit from an expert session on paediatric liver transplants at a continuing medical education (CME) session, the Health Ministry said. The session would be facilitated by Group Medical Director of Apollo Hospitals Group in India, Professor Anupam Sibal. During his engagement on Wednesday, April 23 at the ...

Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname, and Guyana are to conduct a joint operation later against two major environmental crimes, according to a top French Guiana official. That decision was taken at the first operational meeting of the Guyana Shield working group that brought together representatives of police and justice services in Cayenne, French Guiana, from April ...

NOTHING AT SCHOOL SHOULD ENCOURAGE UNHEALTHY CHOICES
Let’s Do Better for the Children! – A Healthy Caribbean Coalition Campaign

ARE WE VIOLATING OUR CHILDREN’S RIGHTS?

While marketing like financial donations, sponsorships, scholarships and donations of branded items may seem helpful —and even harmless— on the surface, they pose four main problems:

1. They promote unhealthy choices to impressionable children
2. They build relationships and a financial dependency between these companies and our schools which make it harder for schools to support healthy food policies (that may not favour those companies)
3. This, in turn, makes it harder to create a healthy food environment in our schools
4. They violate children’s rights to health, adequate and nutritious food, privacy and freedom from economic exploitation.

Children spend many hours at school and studies prove that what they eat and drink, and are influenced to eat and drink during their early years, fosters lifelong habits.

So, when our children are continuously presented with unhealthy food choices and bombarded with messaging that makes these unhealthy choices seem normal, acceptable and appealing, it’s setting them up for a life of poor dietary choices and poor health.

As a society, we must do better for the children.

It’s time to ban the marketing of ultra-processed products in and around our schools.

Because nothing at school should ever encourage unhealthy choices!

OUR CHILDREN ARE AT RISK

What happens when the food we provide and encourage our children to eat is ultra-processed and high in sugar, fat, sodium and additives like dyes?

Our children and our region face suffering that could be easily avoided.

In the Caribbean, 1 in every 3 children is currently overweight or living with obesity, and at risk for serious health conditions like type 2 diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and heart disease.

This is an escalating issue, not just in terms of individual suffering, but at a national and regional level with rising medical costs and a huge portion of medical attention being pulled away from other issues.

Is this what we want for our children?

ARE THE CHOICES WE’RE MAKING REALLY FOR THE CHILDREN?

Funding is a constant concern when running a school and there can never be too much when it comes to creating the best opportunities for our children.

But if donations, cheques, sponsorships, scholarships, or giveaways are given in exchange for providing or promoting unhealthy ultra-processed products or brands to our children, is it worth the harm being introduced?

Unhealthy food and drink brands may seem to be filling a funding gap, but at what cost to our children?

Unhealthy food and drink companies use marketing tactics like sponsorships, donations and giveaways which seem, on the surface, to be goodwill for the children; but they cultivate brand loyalty and a new, young customer base who become lifelong consumers.

Unhealthy food and drink companies may also bank on their actions making them look good to the public and building connections that pave their way into policymaking conversations.

We wouldn’t accept these donations and sponsorships from cigarette or alcohol companies no matter how much they were offering!

It’s time we start viewing unhealthy food companies in a similar light since these ultra-processed products can also lead to serious health problems like obesity, diabetes, heart disease and even some cancers.

Let’s protect our children by promoting only healthy food AND healthy food habits in and around our schools.

IT’S TIME TO BAN THE MARKETING OF ULTRA-PROCESSED PRODUCTS IN AND AROUND OUR SCHOOLS!

Surrounding our children with marketing that encourages them to consume, desire, and ask for ultra-processed products is harmful.

So why do we continue to accept unhealthy food and drink products as part of daily school life and school events?

Why do we continue to allow these unhealthy food and drink companies to influence our school environment by having a say in our school nutrition policy?

It’s time we question the choices we take for granted when it comes to food and drink and the marketing we allow in and around our schools!

Let’s get these products out of our schools and get their influence out of our children’s minds.

WEBINAR

CAMPAIGN AT A GLANCE

Launch Date: April 7th 2025

Locale: Regional/Caribbean

Type: Social Media Campaign

Purpose: To advocate for a ban on the marketing of ultra-processed products in and around schools, and school environments free from the influence of unhealthy food and drink companies.

OTHER RESOURCES

Report – Regulating the Availability and Marketing of Unhealthy Beverages and Food Products in and around Schools in the Caribbean – September 2022 Read/download

Model Policy and Legislative Guidance for Regulating the Availability and Marketing of Unhealthy Beverages and Food Products in and around Schools in the Caribbean – September 2022 Read/download

On September 7th 2022, the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) in partnership with regional and national partners launched a digital campaign titled #ActOnFacts: The Food in Our Schools Matters, to encourage public and policymaker support for policies that limit the sale and marketing of unhealthy foods and drinks in and around schools, while increasing the availability of nutritious foods, healthier snacks and drinking water. Read more

The post LET’S DO BETTER FOR THE CHILDREN! – A Healthy Caribbean Coalition Campaign appeared first on Healthy Caribbean Coalition.