The Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) has hailed the 24-hour mental health hotline as a vital service for the island’s most vulnerable students, urging the government to further expand youth-focused support amid a sharp rise in calls from young people.

Responding to new statistics from Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George showing that the hotline has handled more than 6 500 calls in just over a year, and that the number of people seeking mental health support has doubled since the pandemic, BUT President Rudy Lovell said the service highlights the growing demand for accessible mental health care.

“Particularly striking is the revelation that 40 per cent of these calls have come from children and teenagers,” Lovell told Barbados TODAY.

“This underscores what teachers and school leaders have long observed, that many of our young people are grappling with immense pressures, often silently. The hotline provides them with a safe, confidential space to reach out for help at any hour of the day or night.”

Lovell’s comments come against the backdrop of violent altercations at several schools over the last academic year, which included not only student-on-student violence, but also incidents of student-on-teacher aggression.

Schools cannot simply focus on academic achievement, as emotional and psychological support is needed to help nurture well-rounded citizens, he insisted.

Lovell said: “As educators, we recognise that academic success is inseparable from emotional and psychological well-being. We therefore applaud this initiative and encourage its continued strengthening, particularly in the areas of youth outreach, school partnerships, and awareness campaigns that destigmatise mental health challenges.

“The Barbados Union of Teachers pledges its support in working alongside health professionals, families, and communities to ensure that every child knows help is available and that no student feels alone in moments of crisis.” (SB)

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Stating that “difficult conversations can save lives”, the head of a youth-led mental health advocacy group has urged young Caribbean advocates to embrace open dialogue and shared responsibility in tackling suicide prevention.

Dr David Johnson, president of Let’s Unpack It, was speaking at Suicide Prevention: A Conversation with Caribbean Youth, a youth-focused forum held ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10.

The event brought together young people from across the region to confront stigma, share experiences and push for systemic change.

“In a region where suicide is still treated as a taboo topic, where young people are facing a myriad number of challenges and stressors that heighten their risk, and where we’re still lagging behind on the implementation of national suicide prevention strategies, your presence here signals that you care,” Johnson told participants gathered at the Barbados office of the Pan American Health Organisation.

He urged attendees not to treat the conversation as a one-off observance, but as a catalyst for action.

“These spaces are not just about marking a day,” he said. “They’re about reevaluating our approach, changing the narrative around suicide, and mobilising the systemic change that will make it easier for young people to access life-saving care and support.”

Johnson emphasised that suicide prevention is not solely the responsibility of governments or health professionals.

“Let us embrace it as a moral responsibility that falls on all of us,” Johnson said. “It starts with how we show up for each other, how we listen, how we notice changes, and how we respond when someone is hurting.”

He urged young people to build strong communities of support and not shy away from uncomfortable moments. “Difficult conversations can save lives,” he said.

Johnson also called on Caribbean governments to strengthen their efforts by adopting evidence-based strategies grounded in the World Health Organisation’s Live Life approach – strategies that empower young people to claim their right to mental health and access high-quality care without fear or stigma. (SB)

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Health authorities on Monday intensified calls for vigilance in Barbados amid regional outbreaks of chikungunya and new Oropouche virus cases, warning that the country’s tropical conditions leave it vulnerable despite no current outbreaks here.

The Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) on Friday called for reinforcement of surveillance, clinical management, and vector control to tackle these outbreaks across the Americas. PAHO cautioned that the simultaneous presence of these and other arboviruses increases the risk of outbreaks, severe complications, and fatalities among vulnerable populations.

While Barbadian health officials are assuring the country that there is no outbreak of any of these or other viral diseases, the Ministry of Health says Zika, chikungunya, dengue, and Oropouche are of particular concern.

 “The diseases of concern to the ministry are Zika, chikungunya, and Oropouche, in addition to dengue fever. We recently reported to PAHO regarding cases of chikungunya in Barbados. We had 14 confirmed cases in 2024, and so far this year, we have had six confirmed cases,” Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George told Barbados TODAY.

Dr George said that although chikungunya is transmitted via the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito and its symptoms are similar to those of dengue fever, there is a difference in the outcome.

The chief medical officer explained that chikungunya has a longer effect that persists for months after the infection has cleared.

The government’s top public health adviser pointed out that the levels of chikungunya remain low, with only six cases reported this year. He said the health ministry would carry out chikungunya and Zika screening if tests for dengue fever prove negative. 

“If we are receiving negative dengue cases, and persons are presenting with symptoms of mosquito-borne illness, we then do a wider screen for Zika, chikungunya and other viral agents,” he explained.

Dr George added: “We have not had any reported cases of Zika for several years. Remember, Zika is the infection that presents similarly to dengue, but is a cause for concern because it can affect pregnant women, leading to some form of birth defect. But there are no cases of Zika in Barbados for the past five years.”

Noting that the country experiences intermittent cases of chikungunya, he said the Ministry of Health will continue to conduct tests.

“We know that the vector Aedes aegypti mosquito is present … in Barbados,” the chief medical officer said. “Dengue is endemic in Barbados. We have always had dengue fever, but there is no outbreak of dengue on island at the moment.”

But, Dr George cautioned residents against becoming complacent: “Barbadians still need to play their part, not only in protecting themselves but in ensuring that breeding areas close to their properties are eliminated.”

On the Oropouche virus, which can be transmitted by sand flies, the top public health expert revealed that Barbados has not had any new cases for over a year and a half. But Barbadians can have confidence in the country’s surveillance system, he said.

“We have a strong surveillance system in Barbados that captures prevailing illnesses within the population. Our data suggests there is no Oropouche, so I have to believe it,” he declared.

According to a new epidemiological alert from PAHO, the largest chikungunya outbreaks have been concentrated in South America—particularly Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay—and in parts of the Caribbean. These are associated with the Asian and East/Central/South African (ECSA) genotypes, marking a shift in the pattern observed since 2014. Cases reported in the Indian Ocean region, Europe, and Asia also raise the risk of reintroduction and further spread into new areas with conditions conducive to transmission.

PAHO reports that as of August 9, 14 countries in the region reported a total of 212 029 suspected chikungunya cases and 110 deaths, with more than 97 per cent occurring in South America.

 In comparison, 2024 saw 431 417 reported cases and 245 deaths—indicating a decline this year, though localised outbreaks remain active.

In the first seven months of the year, over 12 700 confirmed Oropouche cases have been reported in 11 countries, including indigenous cases in Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela which were not attributed to travellers.

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb

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A sharp increase in self-harm and attempted suicide among young girls marks a deepening mental health emergency, with a government expert sounding the alarm that the true scope of the problem remains hidden.

Dr Joy Sue, consultant psychiatrist at the Ministry of Health and based at the Psychiatric Hospital in Black Rock, warned on Wednesday that these issues may represent only the surface of a much wider crisis affecting the nation’s young people, as males remain largely absent from those seeking assistance.

She explained that one of the main reasons for this troubling mental health trend is the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, which is only now becoming apparent. 

“To tell you the truth, we have always seen a fair amount of cuttings, but it has increased. We had an increase in depressive anxiety [during COVID] for sure. And with that, we had an increase in persons who presented with cuttings and other forms of parasuicide or what we called self-harm, that is not necessarily meant to cause death.

“During COVID and post-COVID, those conditions increased. And the whole pandemic, and what came with the pandemic…meaning, the isolation, the online schooling, the lack of socialisation…we are only now seeing the fallout from that. Young people now have changed drastically from the way they behaved previously. I think a lot of it stems from that,” she said.

Addicted to devices

Dr Sue also addressed the addiction to mobile devices as a pressing mental health issue requiring intervention. 

She said: “There is a lot more of the digital world… It’s much more a part of their lives now. They are addicted to social media, and that can affect your self-esteem…. They are doing this social comparison thing…. For most people, it is something they put on, but social media is not real life. Or, they are getting bullied on social media. All of that is a part of it. They were isolated all of that time during COVID, they did not have the social support necessary, so they weren’t adapting.”

Extending her concern about social media’s pervasive influence, Dr Sue added: “Even lying down next to each other, people are on their devices.”

Silent struggle 

Dr Sue revealed that the majority of new clients she now sees are young people ranging from their early teens to age 35, further underlining how social and emotional challenges are affecting an entire generation.

She highlighted the importance of the home environment: “They didn’t just get depressed overnight. A lot of them have a lot of trauma dating back from childhood.”

Eating disorders and gender disparities

Eating disorders were flagged by Dr Sue as another disturbing trend, especially among young females seeking help. “You are going to have poor health outcomes later on. With all of these NCDs [non-communicable diseases] that we are talking about, it is going to put them at risk.”

The psychiatrist clarified that eating disorders are rarely the primary concern brought to her by clients, but emerge as a secondary diagnosis discovered during consultations: “They are not seeing me for eating on its own. So they usually are seeing me because of some kind of depressive anxiety. Eating habits is something that is a secondary diagnosis that is discovered when I speak to them, but not necessarily the reason why they are presenting.”

Asked about males turning up with eating disorders, Dr Sue noted: “You don’t get as many males presenting for depressive anxiety. That is from most females.

“There are a variety of reasons. The fact is that it is more common [for females] because of hormonal reasons. But that’s not the only reason. It could be cultural too. It is not that males aren’t experiencing that…but culturally, how ready females are to come forward and access services for something like that…which is not what the act says about males culturally. So, if males are going through something like that, culture says: ‘Suck it up, I am man, be strong;’ and perhaps because the males aren’t coming forward, we are not getting complaints from the males because they simply aren’t talking about it.”

This, she suggested, means the nation may be unaware of the true picture of mental health in Barbados, with women always more likely to seek help: “We are always trying to get to be the ones to come forward. A lot of emphasis is placed on males.”

Dr Sue emphasised the risks of men not seeking support: “The eating disorders in the men are associated with the other things that females also have. Don’t forget the males are the ones that are disproportionate by suicide as well. All those factors could contribute to increased risks, not only for NCDs, but for more severe mental health outcomes.”

Troubled home environments, missing girls

Touching on the possible link between mental health issues originating at home and the phenomenon of girls going missing, Dr Sue reflected on her work at the Government Industrial School (GIS) female section.

“The persons who were the perpetrators were [getting away] scot-free, while these girls were locked up. I always used to think this was foolishness. They are punishing them when they are victims and their rebellious behaviour is because of something that happened to them and those persons who did these things, they aren’t punished. 

“When they are finished with [the Government Industrial School], they got to go back into the same household because they don’t have anywhere else to go. They are back into the same problems that were never resolved. A vicious cycle.” 

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb

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By Michael Landl, Director of the World Vapers’ Alliance

Barbados has made impressive progress in reducing smoking rates—the lowest in the Caribbean region—but there is still work to do. The stark difference between men’s and women’s smoking rates shows that targeted, practical solutions could push smoking down even further. As the global tobacco control community prepares for COP11, Barbados has a unique chance to push for smarter policies that reflect real-world success and science.

Harm reduction offers an alternative to the traditional all-or-nothing approach. Instead of demanding everyone quit nicotine altogether, which many struggle to do, harm reduction provides safer options like vaping, nicotine pouches and heat-not-burn products. These alternatives avoid burning tobacco, which produces the harmful smoke that leads to cancer, heart disease, and other deadly illnesses. The science is clear: remove the smoke, reduce the harm.

Worldwide, places that have embraced harm reduction—like Sweden, the UK, New Zealand and Japan—have rapidly cut smoking rates. Millions of smokers have successfully switched to these safer choices. Yet, despite this evidence, global tobacco control institutions often dismiss harm reduction as unproven or risky, ignoring the voices of consumers and smaller countries whose needs differ from those of wealthier nations. Instead, large donors and entrenched interests dominate the agenda.

Barbados should not accept being overlooked. The country’s experience and perspective are vital. COP11 presents the chance to lead, demanding a working group focused on tobacco harm reduction, mirroring Barbados’s recent global leadership on biodiversity. This group would ensure ongoing, evidence-based discussions, allow like-minded countries to collaborate, and prevent one-size-fits-all policies that ignore science and real lives.

Supporting harm reduction means rejecting blanket bans on less harmful products, tailoring rules to reflect true risk, and insisting on transparent negotiations where consumers who have benefited from these tools are heard. Tobacco control must evolve to put outcomes over ideology.

Barbados already has strong tobacco control laws and a balanced approach to vaping regulation. Promoting cessation support and harm reduction will build on this foundation, saving lives and accelerating progress. With an already low smoking rate of 6.4%, Barbados can follow Sweden and become the next smoke-free nation.

Speaking up at COP11 will set Barbados apart as a leader among smaller countries demanding science, fairness, and inclusion in global policy. The world needs voices like Barbados’s that prioritise people over politics.

The global health community faces a crucial choice: resist change and prolong suffering, or embrace proven, compassionate strategies that reduce harm. Barbados can help tip the scale toward progress. This moment calls for courage and clarity. Barbados can show leadership by backing harm reduction and making sure its people have access to safer choices. The world is watching. Now is the time for Barbados to act.

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Caribbean health authorities have been warned that unless the region urgently overhauls how health data is collected and applied, efforts to prevent and control outbreaks of diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, and Zika will be undermined, a top public health expert said Tuesday.

Director of Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control at the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), Dr Horace Cox, spoke to Barbados TODAY on the sidelines of a regional workshop being hosted at Blue Horizon Hotel. The training session, attended by health professionals from across the region, is focused on boosting the Caribbean’s collective capacity to predict, detect and respond to vector-borne diseases (VBDs).

He noted that although much has been done in recent years to improve data use in drafting public health policies, strengthening data quality and improving how it is applied in decision-making should be seen as the critical point in the region’s preparedness strategy.

Dr Cox said: “We are coming up with innovative tools at the Caribbean Public Health Agency in conversation with key stakeholders such as those in Barbados, that these tools can help to give us an early signal that something is about to happen. Once that’s the case, we trust that this can advance our preparedness not only as a nation in Barbados but also as a region and, by extension, our level of resilience to the public health threats that we continue to face.” 

Much of the workshop, he noted, is about ensuring participants understand both the technical and practical value of high-quality information in safeguarding public health.

“Here we’re teaching the different participants about the importance of improving data quality, because we can come up with all of these fancy tools, but it’s what’s fed into them [that’s] important,” he said.

“Then also we’re building capacity on the use of risk assessment tools because we want them to be able to appreciate the level of risk and also to understand how the public health actions will be commensurate with that level of risk that’s assessed.”

According to Dr Cox, CARPHA and its partners are working on new models that will give health authorities more accurate early warning systems. However, these can only be successful if regional countries have the right infrastructure and ensure that the data being reported is both consistent and reliable.

“There’s been a lot of advancement in terms of the Caribbean getting better quality data using standardised tools that would harmonise the data sets across the board and ensure that they can speak to one another at the time when we’re attempting to do different analyses,” he said.

“Even though we’ve had these successes, it’s important for us to think about the next step. How could we ensure that these changes are institutionalised and that they become part of the culture?”

He stressed that the ultimate goal is not simply about producing large datasets or building new databases, but about ensuring that the data is properly analysed and used to guide real-world public health decisions.

“It’s not just about collecting data and having the best data package available to us, but it’s how to extract the information from it and to use it to inform public health action, and that’s the essence of it,” Dr Cox explained. “We want it to be a process that is smooth, that not only reflects very robust data systems, but also the translation of that evidence and the use of the evidence to inform public health action.”

At the most practical level, he added, the importance of good data must resonate beyond health professionals and policymakers, reaching right down to communities and families.

“When the data is collected, we want to ensure that you, at the very level of the community, understand how you’re using that data to ensure that you do the necessary preventive measures to protect not only you but your family and by extension the broader community,” he said. (SB)

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A private sector business has been commended for staging an initiative to promote a healthier Barbados, even as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Wellness touted an all-of-society approach to tackle the non-communicable disease (NCD) crisis facing the country.

At the prize-giving ceremony for the 10,000-Step Challenge, facilitated by Dr Emma Dash of the Livewell Clinics, Minister Davidson Ishmael said the NCD challenge must be faced head-on.

“It is not just government that has a responsibility for tackling this issue. Non-governmental organisations, charities, clinics, and individuals at a very personal level, at the household level, all need to take responsibility for us being able to tackle the problem in our country,” he said.

The challenge, which encouraged participants to walk 10,000 steps daily for 90 days, came against a backdrop of startling statistics, with the Barbados government spending around $64 million annually to fight hypertension and diabetes.

Minister Ishmael said this meant $64 million less for investment in education and other areas, while an estimated $145 million was lost annually in productivity due to NCDs. Eight out of 10 deaths in Barbados are attributed to these conditions.

“It is a simple investment in your future, in your health, in your well-being and, of course, a very massive investment in our well-being as a country, because the health of a nation is indeed the wealth of a nation.”

Meanwhile, Dr Dash said the ceremony on Saturday was about more than awarding prizes – it was about celebrating movement, commitment, and a shared vision for a healthier Barbados.

She explained that the mission for the challenge was to provide large incentives for Barbadians to move.

“In a world where convenience keeps us sitting, we wanted to remind our community that every step matters, every movement counts, and every choice to be active is a step towards a longer, stronger, and healthier life.”

Underscoring the impact of NCDs, Dr Dash said, “They claim too many of our loved ones, reduce our quality of life, and place an enormous burden on our healthcare system. We believe that through collective action, education, and consistent movement, Barbados can set an example for the world.”

Prizes for the challenge included discounted services at Bayview Hospital, a range of electronic devices, and a portable air-conditioning unit by Coast to Coast Cooling. (STT)

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The Queen Elizabeth Hospital has secured a major boost to its climate resilience with the installation of a new 50 000-gallon water storage tank, part of a regional project to safeguard essential services against drought and other impacts of climate change.

The tank, donated by the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), was formally handed over on Thursday, with hospital and regional officials hailing the investment as a critical safeguard for the country’s main health institution.

QEH Chief Executive Officer Neil Clark thanked the CCCCC team for their support in making the project a reality, and said the facility must be prepared for the growing threats posed by climate change.

“This is a significant step forward in strengthening the resilience of our hospital, our health services, and indeed our country,” he said. “Rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, and increasing variability in rainfall are already affecting the natural supply of fresh water across our region. For a critical institution like the QEH, where water is not just essential but life-sustaining, these realities present very real risks.

“This investment is not simply a piece of infrastructure, it’s a safeguard. It helps us ensure continuity of care in times of drought, during emergencies, and whenever demand is at its highest.”

The tank forms part of the Water Sector Resilience Nexus for Sustainability in Barbados (WSRN-S) project, jointly implemented by the Barbados Water Authority and the CCCCC, with financing from the Green Climate Fund.

Head of Project Management at the CCCCC, Diane Wade, said the development should be seen as a milestone for the region.

“It is of significance not only because of what it means for Barbados in realising its ambitions of climate resilience, but also for the reach of its impacts across the Caribbean,” Wade noted. “The WSRN-S Barbados Project, approved in 2018 and launched in 2019, was the first full-size project for the Caribbean by the Green Climate Fund. It has since inspired a growing number of initiatives. Directly, project investments benefit an approximate 189 000 Barbadian citizens.”

While the original budget for the tank was $860 000, logistical challenges and global shipping costs pushed bids to more than $1m. A needs assessment carried out in 2020 determined that a 50 000-gallon tank would effectively double the QEH’s storage capacity.

QEH Director of Engineering Services, Paula Agbowu, said the hospital is now storing more than 150 000 gallons of water.

“The hospital installed a 50 000-gallon tank in 2018–19, which significantly increased capacity. This second tank from the CCCCC is an additional 50 000 gallons. So now we have in excess of 150 000 gallons of water storage,” she explained.

She stressed that while the figure may sound large, the hospital’s daily demand is substantial: “We need water for hand washing, for cooking, for steam supply, for sterilisation, for surgeries … there are nearly 200 toilets and sinks, plus many other facilities. We use an enormous amount of water on a daily basis.”

Agbowu added that the hospital hopes to eventually add a third tank to match its level of preparedness in electricity supply.

“At this juncture we would like to become a little bit more self-sufficient. With a third tank we would be at the point where we could be comfortable. In terms of our electrical capacity, we are at the point where we have two full weeks of capacity, and we would really love to be at that same comfort level as it relates to our water capacity,” she said. (SB)

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Patients arriving at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department are now being registered in as little as three minutes, the hospital said Monday, with overall triage waiting times cut by 40 per cent, following sweeping efficiency reforms.

Registration, once one of the major bottlenecks, is now down to as quick as three minutes, while wait times for triage have fallen by almost half.

Service Improvement Manager Dr Ayja Clarke said on the hospital’s Pulse Radio show that new digital self-registration kiosks have made a significant difference.

“The first thing we’ve been looking at is decreasing that time to registration,” she said. “So once you get through the door of the Accident and Emergency Department, you will be screened with security. What you will see now is you are going to be directed to a digital kiosk, so a self-registration kiosk.

“So now we have decreased registration time. So once you come into the department, we have registration time sometimes as low as three minutes. Sometimes it’s ten minutes during peak times when things are really, really busy.”

Clarke said triage has also been restructured with the addition of a senior doctor working alongside nurses.

“Since introducing the changes, especially with the introduction of the physician-assisted triage, the wait times between patients coming through the door and getting to triage are down by 40 per cent,” she said.

Other measures include advanced triage, where tests and scans can be ordered earlier; nurse-initiated medication to provide pain relief on arrival; and plans for a minor case unit to fast-track patients with less severe conditions.

Head of Accident and Emergency Dr Anne Marie Cruikshank said the digital changes were also helping staff act faster.

“As [the nurses] enter digitally into the system, that information goes directly to the medical records officer. … We have physician-assisted triage, and we can now start the investigations, the pain meds, the imaging’s being ordered. Everything can start from screening or triage,” she said.

Dr Clarke also revealed that the hospital has introduced Estimated Date of Discharge boards on wards, giving teams and relatives a clear plan for getting patients home.

“Overall in the hospital, I’m happy to report that so far the average length of stay in the hospital is down in all of the wards by 1.2 days, but in the wards that we piloted the boards on, we have noted that the average length of stay is down even further, down by 2.9 days,” she said.

QEH Chief Executive Officer Neil Clark said the introduction of service improvement managers earlier this year was designed to allow departments space to rethink service delivery.

“They’ve been focused on the A&E pathway and what I call the Unplanned Care Pathway, A&E, inpatient flow and discharge planning, and we’ll move them at some point in the future to the Planned Care Pathway,” he said.

He cited oncology as one area where staff-led improvements were delivering results.

“You would have seen the cancer waiting times at 140 days for your first outpatient appointment. We’re now down to three weeks. We’re down to 21 days from 140 days. And that’s that team in the Oncology Department just taking the initiative and saying they’re going to fix this, we’re going to improve this for the population.”

Clark added: “What I sense when I walk around is that there’s a change coming. I feel that change in people who are speaking to me. I feel people are getting permission to do things. And it feels like it was always that they were waiting for the CEO to say yes you can do this and I keep saying it’s your department, if you think that works better, try it, and that’s happening.” (SM)

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The Caribbean’s medical response to hurricanes, floods and other crises is set to get a major boost with the launch of a regional disaster medicine centre here, aimed at strengthening health systems and training frontline responders, university officials said Wednesday.

The Emergency and Disaster Medicine Centre (CEDMed) of the Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM), is a regional hub dedicated to strengthening medical preparedness and resilience in the face of natural disasters and other crises.

Senior Associate Dean of External Affairs Dr Rhonda McIntyre told the launch at the university’s Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre campus that CEDMed was born out of a clear and urgent need to address medical deficits when natural disasters strike the region.

“Resilience must be built into every layer of our societies, our infrastructure, our institutions, and our people,” she said. “Even in the face of disaster, we have seen a level of unity and cooperation unmatched at other times in our history. It is the spirit of resilience, solidarity, and hope that defines us and fuels the launch of the Ross University School of Medicine, Caribbean Emergency and Disaster Medicine Centre (CEDMed) – a new hub for building capacity across the region.”

Between 2000 and 2023, the Caribbean endured 793 climate events, according to the Central Bank of Barbados’ 2023 Financial Stability Report. Tropical storms made up just over half, and floods accounted for 32 per cent. Dr McIntyre pointed to staggering costs – more than US$181bn ($362bn) in storm-related losses.

“Here in Barbados, 14 recorded events over that period caused nearly US$300m [$600m],” she said, noting that disasters such as hurricanes exacerbate diseases, create lasting mental health challenges, and repeatedly stall regional development.

Senior Associate Dean of External Affairs at RUSM, Dr Rhonda McIntyre. (SB)

Reflecting on Hurricanes Maria and Irma, as well as the strain the COVID-19 pandemic placed on health systems, Dr McIntyre stressed that “institutional preparedness, trained responders, and community resilience are critical”.

While acknowledging that existing frameworks are in place, she said CEDMed offered something “transformative; a commitment to help build knowledge, train hands, and equip healthcare and emergency workers with the skills and strategies our region can rely on when disaster strikes”.

Through specialised training such as emergency cardiovascular care courses, expert partnerships, and disaster medicine programmes, CEDMed aims to fortify regional health systems and improve outcomes during crises, she said.

“The RUSM CEDMed Centre is more than a hub, it’s a beacon of a safer, stronger, and more sustainable Caribbean,” Dr McIntyre declared.

The first phase of the project will focus on establishing the centre and refining training programmes geared towards disaster response. Phase two will expand its offerings, and phase three will deepen partnerships with stakeholders. The centre’s objectives include developing a highly skilled workforce, providing regular refresher training, producing impactful research to guide policy, and building strong community engagement.

“Our vision is a resilient Caribbean health sector ready to meet the demands of emergencies and future disasters. Our mission is to build regional strength through advanced education, hands-on skills development, and pioneering research,” Dr McIntyre said. (SB)

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