Even as Shadow Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Roysdale Forde said political parties’ headquarters were untouchable, Local Government and Regional Development Minister Nigel Dharamlall said the building that housed the People’s National Congress Reform’s (PNCR) office in Lethem has been earmarked for a health care facility. “The location of this site is slated ...

Barbados’ newest centenarian, Maria St. Auburn-Cave, is very happy to reach her 100th birthday.  

St. Auburn-Cave, who celebrated her special day on Tuesday, February 28, with family at her Valley Development home, St. George said her only regret on reaching the milestone was that her husband was not alive to share it with her.

“I feel good; I feel real happy. The only thing [is], I feel sad that my husband is not here… God take him and I have to live without him, but he was a good husband and a good father. He worked day and night to provide for us; we never suffered a day… I love[d] him very much,” she said.

President of Barbados, Her Excellency, The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason, paid a visit via Zoom, as part of the celebrations, and wished the centenarian a very special birthday. Her Excellency noted that. St. Auburn-Cave’s day “is special in a number of ways, especially because she is the widow of Prince Cave, who has given Barbados so much pleasure over the years.”  

The centenarian’s second daughter, Antoinette Sealy, paid a tribute on behalf of the family, stating: “Mummy’s pride and joy has always been her seven children… her 12 grandchildren and her 12 great-grandchildren. Her family always came first.” 

Lloyd Cave, one of the centenarian’s eldest grandchildren, noted that she is “the rock of the family”.

Prince Cave Jr., one of the centenarian’s sons and a member of the Troubadours band in Barbados, shared that one of his fondest memories was “the strength she had” when his father, Inspector Prince Cave, former Director of the Royal Barbados Police Force Band (now Barbados Police Service Band) traveled for three years to complete a Band Master’s course at the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall, England.   

Perhaps one of the most poignant tributes was that from Ronald Cave, who shared that when he took ill with tetanus as a boy, “every day, sometimes twice a day” his mum would walk from work or from home to the hospital. “There were some days I was so bad that she could not see me directly, but I remember that sometimes she would come by the window to catch a glimpse,” he noted.

Auburn-Cave worked in the Accounts Department at Perkins and Sons and then at French Trading Co. Ltd. until retirement. Both businesses were on Roebuck Street, Bridgetown.  

She was known for sticking to a schedule and the family knew that growing up, when it was noon it was time to eat and at 7 p.m. she would watch the Evening News on CBC TV, which to this day, she still does with the lights turned off. 

One of the centenarian’s favourite songs is Wind Beneath My Wings,, which Prince Cave Jr. played on the saxophone, as part of his tribute to his mother.

An avid cook, Auburn-Cave still prepares some of her own meals, mainly breakfast (tea and a boiled egg) and her evening tea, which she takes with a fried egg. She has a special fondness for eggs, and she eats two every day. The centenarian appreciates all types of food and is known to like dessert – ice cream and jam puffs. 

(BGIS)

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By Anesta Henry

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) has launched a monthly Employee Recognition Programme to honour staff for their hard work, dedication and going the extra mile to deliver patient care.

Delivering remarks at the inaugural awards held at the QEH Auditorium on Tuesday, Executive Chairman Juliette Bynoe-Sutherland said such an initiative is pivotal simply because only those within the organisation understand what it truly takes to deliver patient care to the public.

She stressed that employees understand the times of plenty, scarcity, as well as the creativity, professional skills, ingenuity, collyfoxing, and sacrificing that it takes to make QEH work.

Bynoe-Sutherland said reward and recognition programmes are important to increase motivation for workers to maintain a positive attitude, encourage friendly competition, improve productivity, and also boost employee retention as satisfied workers are less likely to leave or complain and are most likely to deliver the best service or patient care.

“But forgive me if I dwell on a lesson that I have learnt over the past three years and why I pushed so hard on this event. The QEH organisational culture is a work in progress, we are trying to create a culture of open and effective communication between ourselves and with our patients. 

“We are seeking to maintain a unified purpose and build and sustain a culture of excellence. Our culture will not be changed by mandates from the board or directives from management. What QEH has taught me, what all of you in this room teach us, is that a positive organisational culture is built by inculcating in each and every employee the sense that their words and actions make a difference,” she said.

Suggesting that employees are motivated when commended for a job well done, the Executive Chairman said the 64-plus employees honoured at the inaugural event were chosen because of their deliberate choice to give of themselves, rise against their own personal circumstances and to give to the people of Barbados.

Noting that there are not yet many hospitals on the island where healthcare professionals can trade their skills, Bynoe-Sutherland said for many, working at QEH is the goal. 

“Therefore, we are compelled to do all that we can to build recognition into the fabric and sinews of the organisation. This event is just one corporate measure for executive directors to celebrate their teams. Peer recognition is equally important. 

“We are going to continue with our annual Peer Recognition event, the RESPECT Awards where team members vote and recognise other team members, as recognition from co-workers can be equally as important, and it’s really important to get staff engaged in celebrating and recognising others. 

“In building this culture of recognition – a radio shout out, a thank-you card, handwritten notes, or an anonymous gift can have tremendous power in showing authentic appreciation. It is also important to recognise that some of your employees love the spotlight and others are much more private so recognition can be tailored to the individuals,” she said.

Employees were honoured for various contributions to patient care and for keeping the facility functioning even during challenging times.

Groups from several departments were recognised for the significant role they played, going beyond the call of duty and working long hours, to ensure QEH systems kept running during the cyber-attack on the hospital’s information technology systems. anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb

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Avian Influenza is transmitted by wild migratory birds moving from cold climates into warmer regions

View the full post Grenada under high alert against Avian Influenza on NOW Grenada.

Pérez explained that the alert is issued in a preventive mode, since, in countries of the Southern Cone, such as Brazil and Paraguay, there has been an exponential increase in affected patients.

In this context, the director of Epidemiology, Ronald Skewes, indicated that by the year 2021, in the region of the Americas, 137,000 cases of chikungunya were recorded; 271 thousand cases in 2022, and 30,707 cases during the first four weeks of 2023, marking a pattern of accelerated growth. “That it arrives in the country is a matter of time,” highlighted the doctor.

Swekes indicated that the term “chikungunya” means “The bent man”, alluding to the severe pain that this disease produces throughout the body, making it difficult to walk upright and whose conditions can persist for long months. Other symptoms are fever, rash, and general malaise.

In less than 15 years, the country has gone from less than 25% of its people being overweight to more than 70%, according to the latest survey carried out by the Health authorities in 2021, and that, without the rigor of a scientific study, serves as an indicator of the need to act against a problem that is worsening and causes diabetes and hypertension. 

“31% of schoolchildren are overweight. In less than 15 years, the country has gone from less than 25% of people overweight to more than 70%.” With the causes documented in more than one report and much more consequences, even the economic cost of being overweight has been analyzed, the country has to apply measures so that the balance begins to decline.

But the recommended actions have not yet materialized and the Dominican Republic experiencing the failure of the goals set, despite the millionaire burden that being overweight implies for the State. Controlling overweight will require national policies that go beyond training and information. One first step could be to tax sugary drinks in the country.

The Sinopharm and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines will be available at the island’s polyclinics from Monday, February 27, to Friday, March 3, at the times listed below.

Monday, February 27

• Branford Taitt Polyclinic, Black Rock, St. Michael – 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Eunice Gibson Polyclinic, Warrens, St. Michael – 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Frederick “Freddie” Miller Polyclinic, The Glebe, St. George – 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Tuesday, February 28

• Branford Taitt Polyclinic, Black Rock, St. Michael – 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Frederick “Freddie” Miller Polyclinic, The Glebe, St. George – 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Eunice Gibson Polyclinic, Warrens, St. Michael – 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Randal Phillips Polyclinic, Oistins, Christ Church – 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Wednesday, March 1

• Branford Taitt Polyclinic, Black Rock, St. Michael – 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Maurice Byer Polyclinic, Station Hill, St. Peter – 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
• Winston Scott Polyclinic, Jemmotts Lane, St. Michael – 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• St. Philip Polyclinic, Six Roads, St. Philip – 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Edgar Cochrane Polyclinic, Wildey, St. Michael – 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Eunice Gibson Polyclinic, Warrens, St. Michael – 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Frederick “Freddie” Miller Polyclinic, The Glebe, St. George – 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Thursday, March 2

• Branford Taitt Polyclinic, Black Rock, St. Michael – 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Frederick “Freddie” Miller Polyclinic, The Glebe, St. George – 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Randal Phillips Polyclinic, Oistins, Christ Church – 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Friday, March 3

• David Thompson Health and Social Services Complex, Glebe Land, St. John – 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Branford Taitt Polyclinic, Black Rock, St. Michael – 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Frederick “Freddie” Miller Polyclinic, The Glebe, St. George – 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The AstraZeneca, adult Pfizer vaccine, and the paediatric Pfizer vaccine for children ages five to eleven, are currently not available.

Persons who wish to receive their first dose of any available vaccine are advised to walk with their identification card. Those eligible for second doses should also travel with their blue vaccination card.

At present, the choice for boosters is either Johnson & Johnson or Sinopharm. Persons receiving boosters may present either their blue vaccination card or vaccination certificate and valid photo identification. Those who were fully vaccinated overseas must also provide their vaccination cards and valid photo identification (passport or identification card). (MR/BGIS)

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Santo Domingo, DR.
The National Health Service (SNS) clarified yesterday that the Padre Billini Teaching Hospital, handed over in the middle of last year by President Luis Abinader, is functioning at full capacity, with its areas and services available to citizens who come to the health center in search of health care.

As announced in a press release last week, the Intensive Care Unit, Operating Theatres, and Admission areas, which completed 100 percent of the iconic hospital’s services, were enabled the previous week.

It is recalled that the modern dental area of Padre Billini was put into service in January. It has two dental units, two periapical X-rays, a sterilizer, and a panoramic X-ray.

The portfolio of services of the health center, available to the public, includes Emergency, Outpatient, Laboratory, Imaging, Haemodialysis Unit, Blood Bank, Pharmacy, Tuberculosis Unit, Nutrition, Pathology, Endoscopy, High-Cost Programme (Rheumatology and Haematology) and Liver Programme. From its inauguration in August 2022 to January 2023, the Padre Billini Hospital has offered 101,174 services, such as emergencies, imaging, and laboratories.

Villa Hermosa

The SNS reported that the Villa Hermosa Hospital in La Romana has the necessary staff and equipment to offer services.

As announced during the inauguration, work is based on a schedule for opening services that begins on 13 March with outpatient consultations (six clinics), laboratory, imaging (ultrasound and X-rays), and dentistry.

On 3 April, the emergency room will come into service; on 17 April, the in-patient ward and the intensive care unit, while on 1 May, the operating theatres will be ready for use, leaving the commissioning process at 100%, just two months after its handover.

During the handover, which took place on the 24th of this month, the SNS announced that the health center has now entered the qualification stage by the Ministry of Public Hea. In this protocol phase, each process is supervised to qualify it and affiliate it to the various Health Risk Administrators (ARS) and thus guarantee the hospital’s and its structure’s sustainability.

The SNS is working on training staff in the proper handling of the advanced equipment available at the facility, and this induction began once the equipment was installed.

The National Health Service reported that as soon as other health centers intervened under the Ministry of Housing and Building (MIVED) management delivered, the commissioning process will begin, which is continuously published during inaugurations.

A simple urine test could detect pancreatic and prostate cancer with up to a 99% rate of accuracy, says a team of researchers from the Surface & Nano Materials Division of the Korea Institute of Materials Science.

Dr. Ho Sang Jung, lead author of the study, said cancer urine contains cancer metabolites and is different from normal urine. 

The study, recently published in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics, aimed to determine whether urine tests could detect those cancer metabolites, which are released by cancer cells to promote tumor growth.

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After the urine sample was placed on a test strip, the researchers used a special type of light scattering technique that generated a "fingerprint spectrum of chemicals," which detected the cancer metabolites.

Dr. Jung said the tests can detect cancer at various stages. 

"The purpose of developing this kind of technology is to screen the cancer patient before they go to the hospital," he told Fox News Digital in an email. 

"We are not sure that the test strip can differentiate cancer at very early stages, but at least it can suggest the possibility of cancer status — so the patient may then go to the hospital for a precise medical checkup."

PANCREATIC CANCER RATES ARE RISING FASTER AMONG WOMEN THAN MEN: NEW STUDY

Dr. James Anaissie, a urologist with Memorial Hermann in Houston, Texas, who was not involved in the study, is optimistic about the future of this technology — but he’s not jumping completely on board just yet.

"If the test is as reliable as they say it is, it may have an important role in screening, as the current PSA [prostate-specific antigen] blood test we use is notoriously unreliable," he told Fox News Digital in an email. 

"There is a big need for something like this."

Also, from a clinical perspective, urine testing is much easier than blood testing, the doctor said.

However, Anaissie remains a bit skeptical. 

"Although they report excellent sensitivity and specificity for prostate cancer, the data to support this is only available upon request of the research team, and they have almost no tables demonstrating these findings, which I would consider standard for studies of this nature," he said. 

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"For example, were the patients diagnosed with prostate cancer in severe stages, where it’s obvious they have prostate cancer even without any urine tests?" said Dr. Anaissie. 

"Was it just as accurate for low-grade and high-grade cancers? Whenever I hear about exciting new technology, I’m always receptive, but with a raised eyebrow."

Urine screenings can be used by anyone, said Dr. Jung. The end goal is for this type of technology to be available for at-home testing.

He foresees several possible practical uses, including screening for cancer before going to the hospital, monitoring for cancer recurrence after treatment, or supplementary testing in addition to blood work.

The study authors recognize some limitations of the research.

"It was hard to get enough urine samples from cancer patients," said Dr. Jung. 

His team used 100 samples in the study and is continuously collecting more from hospitals throughout Korea.

Also, because this is a new technology, it still has not been approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in Korea for commercial use.

Anaissie also points out that more studies are needed to see if the test works when there is a urinary tract infection or blood in the urine, which is not uncommon in patients with prostate cancer.

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"Technology like this takes a long time to go from the lab’s proof of concept to everyday use, and a lot of people are going to try to pick it apart to make sure it’s safe and reliable," Anaissie said.

"The last thing you want is a screening test that ends up having a lot of false negatives. If it can survive the scrutiny, then it has the potential to revolutionize prostate cancer screening."

The researchers’ ultimate goal is for the urine screenings to extend eventually to other types of cancers, such as lung cancer and colorectal cancer. 

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"We are currently developing a system that can classify four cancer types — pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer and colorectal cancer — simultaneously," Jung told Fox News Digital. 

He expects the follow-up study to be published sometime this year. 

Pancreatic cancer makes up around 3% of cancer diagnoses in the U.S. and 7% of deaths, per the American Cancer Society (ACS). 

Men are slightly more susceptible than women.

Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer among American men, with about one in 41 dying of the disease (via the ACS).

In recent years there has been an improvement in the application of diagnostic techniques and the use of precision medicine to enhace the efficiency of treatments and patient care and the best strategy in the fight against cancer is multi-disciplinary management: prevention controls, early detection, and equal access.

The topic was exposed by patients and oncology specialists during the discussion “Comprehensive Vision and Cancer Challenges in the Dominican Republic”, held at the Santo Domingo Technological Institute (INTEC). The president of Fundación Un Amigo Como Tú, Juan Manuel Pérez, shared his experience as a survivor of non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. He said that these limitations are compounded by the emotional impact of receiving the diagnosis and the lack of information about the causes of the disease.

He added that cancer patients face late diagnoses and insufficient coverage for drugs and services. In turn, Dr. Mariel Pacheco del Castillo, pathologist and master’s degree in Molecular Oncology, said that today the objective of cancer treatment must be to restore a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being in patients and not only eradicate the tumor burden.