A plan which was in place since 2017 has finally been fulfilled and that is the ability to offer elite, emerging and developing athletes a place where their medicals can be done as well as a full sports medicine assessment.

The launch of the programme, which is a collaboration between the Barbados Olympic Association (BOA), the Barbados Sports Medicine Association (BSMA) and the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Community Empowerment, took place today at the BOA’s headquarters.

Speaking at the launch, president of the BSMA, Dr Carl Ward said that they will initially be catering for around 70 athletes. He said they are trying to offer more to the athletes but it will first start with an assessment clinic.

Ward said athletes will have a comprehensive medical yearly, as well as the medical that they would be required to have before travelling with a team on national duty.

Ward revealed that they will also have a referral system in place to deal with any problems that they may find.

One of the areas which they wish to address is the number of athletes who have been quitting their respective sports due to injuries that have gone untreated.

Another worrying trend that it hopes will be addressed is that of athletes who do not seek out trained professionals due to either financial reasons or lack of knowledge as to where they can find assistance.

Ward hopes that this will be the start of helping to develop and emerging athletes to forge a pathway to the elite level regardless of injury.

Minister of Sport, Charles Griffith said that he also wanted some satellite places for the programme so that those who do not have transportation can still benefit from the programme.

However, Ward pointed out that a lack of human resources was the biggest problem with expanding the programme at the moment which is why they were catering for the current numbers.

Griffith voiced his concern that many athletes do not understand the impact that nutrition has on their careers.

He said a lot will now depend on coaches paying attention to and being aware of what is happening in terms of injuries. He also called for a mandate that all national federations be made to educate their coaches as to what is programs are in place.

Griffith also offered some space at the Wildey Gymnasium to help expand their program.

All three entities BMSA, BOA and the Ministry of Sport hope to collaborate in the future with the University of the West Indies.

(CG)

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Centenarian Lorna Austin was a woman of few words on Wednesday, and her memory may not be the sharpest, but friends and family who helped her celebrate her milestone were full of stories of how lively she was in her younger years.

Their recollections also shared a similar theme – that of a woman whose life focused on the love for her family.

During an intimate party held at her Christ Church home, the Guyanese-born mother of three was mostly quiet as a fuss was made of her.

Her daughter Betty-June Leacock told the media that the day was a special one for her and her family.

“She is actually only the second [centenarian] that I have encountered. I am still in awe of my own mum as a centenarian and I think it has been a wonderful day so far. I feel blessed to have my mom at 100 years and for others to come and share in the experience,” she told the media as she indicated her mother was in good health.

Her brother Nigel Austin mirrored those sentiments, adding: “She is an example of what perseverance and resolve is all about… a perfect example of that. I hope to be able to follow in those footsteps.”

He spoke about some of his mother’s life experiences, including studying in England, doing secretarial work at The Barbados Advocate, and being a secretary for the late Sir William Arthur Lewis during his time as President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

However, he said it was the love for her late husband, Leo Austin that meant the most to her during her lifetime and she felt the weight of his passing in 1996.

“Daddy always had like this umbrella over her to protect her, had her like in a bubble. Anything she wanted, Daddy took care of. She was devastated when he passed…. We were really worried about her,” Austin recalled.

“Over time, she bounced back and at that age, she then decided to embrace technology. She got onto the computer, learned how to use [it], communicated with all of her friends overseas via email, [and] took all of the bookings for the apartments, which she rented out, via email.

“I know the days where she would say ‘Nigel, when you come over I want you to look at the computer for me, I am not getting online’ or ‘there is an email I want to send but these attachments are not going’. She was fascinated all of the time with technology. Then when cell phones came about, where we could take pictures and so on, up till now she is still amazed about how you could take photographs on a cell phone.”

The centenarian’s best friend Norma Odle spoke about their friendship.

“We had great times together [and] always kept close together. As the children came on, I even remember Old Year’s Night when Leo and Lorna would bring the kids over to my house with my kids, and the four of us, my husband and I and Lorna and Leo, would go dancing, [and] bring back home the top hats for the children the next morning.

“We had some beautiful times together… never left each other out. Since my husband died 28 years ago, Leo passed the year after him, and Lorna and I kept very close always,” she said.

Odle said that while Austin no longer remembered her, the love she had for her close friend has not faded.

“She doesn’t know me now but I am still close in heart with her…. I love her very much,” she said.

Representatives from the Barbados Association of Retired Persons as well as the National Union of Public Workers paid tribute to Austin during the celebrations.

The centenarian has three children and five grandchildren, most of whom still live in Barbados. (SB)

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Psychologist Shawn Clarke is urging the Government to incorporate the existing services of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in efforts to address the whopping increase in mental health cases since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The founder and director of Supreme Counselling for Personal Development made the suggestion in response to a recent disclosure by Minister of Health Dr the Most Honourable Jerome Walcott that the number of Barbadians seeking assistance for mental health issues had risen more than 200 per cent in the last three years.

Speaking in the Senate last week, Minister Walcott acknowledged that given those statistics, “we need to look at public education and the stigma associated with mental health illness, [and] we need to look at community mental health”. 

“We need to integrate it totally into the polyclinic system. We are expanding the numbers of psychiatrists and counselling psychologists in the community because we need to move it into the community,” he had said.

While agreeing that was “a positive move”, Clarke emphasised the need for the Government to utilise services and programmes which smaller NGOs have already started.

“Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, there are a number of organisations in Barbados, like Supreme Counselling, who have been offering such services to the community, and we are on the ground. So, we know the people, we know where they are at, [and] we know the persons who would really need to access the services,” he told Barbados TODAY.

“We have to make these services readily available to the community and we also need to make it free of cost so that persons who need to access the services can do so.

“So it’s a good initiative but I think they need to collaborate more with the non-governmental organisations to access those services,” he added.

Clarke identified an initiative his NGO started in February under which he said its services have been decentralised and work is being done with specific communities, including The Pine, St Michael and Mason Hall Street,The City.

The psychologist told Barbados TODAY that given the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the statistics revealed by the Health Minister were not surprising.

“If I cast my mind as far back as the beginning of COVID when we had our first shutdown, I remember warning Barbados that we would have to put measures in place to deal with the backlash from COVID and the effect that it would have on young people and their mental psyche,” he said.

“I remember at that time also warning Barbados that when the children return to school, for the first month or so, it could not be school as usual. We could not just go straight back to teaching the academics, but the school needed to do a lot of work bringing in counsellors, working with the guidance counsellors and so on, doing sessions to help the young people to cope with what they would have been through. 

“So I am not at all surprised by the statistics laid . . . by the minister. We ourselves at Supreme Counselling would have seen an increase of young people coming in or requesting our services for depression and anxiety,” Clarke added.

During his contribution to the debate on the Appropriation Bill, 2023, Minister Walcott said that some of the violence displayed by students in schools appears to be linked to mental health issues. (SB)

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Some air traffic controllers at Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) have complained of varying health challenges which they blame on environmental issues associated with the tower.

Their bargaining agent – the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) is closely monitoring the situation as airport management takes steps to have the problem fixed.

Deputy General Secretary of the NUPW Wayne Walrond disclosed on Monday that management was in the process of hiring an expert to tackle any air quality issues in the control tower.

“I understand that staff at the Air Traffic Control tower have raised concerns with management about the air quality within that tower,” Walrond told Barbados TODAY.

“All I could say right now is that management is looking to procure the services of someone to have that assessment done. But we know Government’s procurement process and red tape…They are looking to have an independent and professional assessment on it to determine the next course of action. That’s all I can say about that development,” he added.

However, Walrond disclosed that the environmental problem had forced some staff to stay away from work on several occasions.

“It is my understanding that some people have been impacted in various ways [including] respiratory problems and some have had to take leave from time to time,” Walrond explained. Meanwhile, an industrial dispute between air traffic controllers and the government is nearing a resolution.

On Friday, the union announced that the standoff over the upgrade and appointment of air traffic control cadets as air traffic control officers grade 2, is anticipated to end by this Friday.

“This matter would have caused some unrest among the workers, and the union was mandated to ensure that it continued to vigorously pursue this matter. We are pleased to announce that in communication with the Ministry of the Public Service, they informed us of the progress made thus far,” said Walrond in an audio statement to Barbados TODAY.

“The matter is now to go before the Cabinet and we look forward to having it concluded by March 31,” he stated.

The union executive official recalled meeting on March 11 with the air traffic control officers to update them on the appointment and upgrade of the 25 cadets.

The air traffic control tower has direct responsibility for managing, handling, takeoffs, and all movement within the airport terminal control area. (EJ)

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By Emmanuel Joseph

The National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) has given the Government until the end of May to settle a year-old COVID-19 hazard pay dispute with workers in the healthcare system.

Deputy General Secretary of the largest public sector trade union, Wayne Walrond told Barbados TODAY on Monday that if the matter is not resolved within the next two months, “we would have to go back and report to our membership about what happened and see what is the next move”.

He said the Government has failed to meet with the union to discuss its proposal, submitted last March, for healthcare workers at the polyclinics to receive a lump sum hazard payment.

“This is a full year and we haven’t even got an invitation around the table to sit down and even discuss it,” Walrond said.

 “The NUPW is appealing to the relevant authorities to have this outstanding matter addressed since there is gross discontentment among the healthcare workers.”

He explained that the proposal was submitted as an alternative to workers using the traditional claim form, given that some categories of workers who were at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic would have been excluded from receiving a hazard payment.

“In March 2022, the NUPW submitted a proposal to the Government for a lump sum payment to all healthcare workers, given that the claim form system would not have been an equitable criteria for granting the appropriate recognition for all healthcare workers in the public sector,” Walrond said.

Expressing disappointment there has been no movement on the matter, he added: “If we can thrash this out and have it settled urgently by no later than two months, we would be happy with that result…no later than the month of May. I think if they can get around the table with a sense of urgency and treat it as a non-salaried item, it could be addressed expeditiously.”

According to Walrond, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) approach of giving workers a monthly hazard allowance was a model the NUPW believed could be used.

“The medical doctors obviously would have the edge and the nurses…[but] even the security at the door who had to interact with the public…there is some rate for him, and give him a one-off payment,” he said. “We were willing to sit down and negotiate it. I put a proposal and this is a full year and I have not got around the table to discuss it.”

However, Walrond said he remains optimistic that the Government would seek to settle the matter. 

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb

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HEALTH MINISTER CAUGHT OFF GUARD BY JUNIOR DOCTORS’ COMPLAINTS

By Jenique Belgrave

Minister of Health and Wellness Senator Dr The Most Honourable Jerome Walcott says public complaints about junior doctors working long hours have left him feeling like he was “stabbed in the back” because the issue was never raised with him.
The visibly upset Dr Walcott also insisted on Friday that plans were already in the works to get more medical practitioners at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in the next financial year.
Even so, he said, the 30-hour workdays doctors were complaining about were “part of the process” and were actually an improvement over what previously obtained.
“I feel as though I have been stabbed in my back because since I became Minister of Health, I met with the Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners (BAMP) in December. We discussed a number of things. There was no issue mentioned in that discussion about junior doctors and their conditions of service…. Not a single junior doctor has asked to meet with me or has written me anything and that is why I feel particularly upset about it,” he told the media on the sidelines of a seminar to mark World Tuberculosis Day, at the Pan American Health Organisation.
“Even on Wednesday, I said that we are going to look at extending the hours in the operating theatres and, naturally, you will need more doctors. I spoke about anaesthetists and I spoke about categories of doctors. Even in the well of Parliament [during the Estimates debate], I said not only doctors but that we will need additional staff – medical and also additional technical people and stuff like this. I’ve been speaking and negotiating, and I’ve been stabbed in my back.”
After Government Senator Dr Crystal Haynes earlier this week, during debate on the Appropriation Bill, 2023 in the Upper House, called for an end to the more than 30-hour shifts junior doctors were working to safeguard both patients and healthcare providers, consultant physician at the QEH Dr Kenneth Connell drew further attention to the matter in an interview with Barbados TODAY, declaring it was a “dangerous” situation for both doctors and the public. Then on Thursday, a group of junior doctors spoke out about their experience in a statement sent to this media house, saying the workload had been so heavy, some of their colleagues had quit and some even required counselling.
However, the Health Minister insisted that long shifts were the norm not only here but in hospitals in developed countries.
He added that overall, conditions have improved.
“They have been improving over time. You are talking about 30 hours? I can speak of working 48 hours. We worked weekends straight and then continued working on Monday. We did. This is part of the process. All over the world, junior doctors complain about the length of days that they work and the hours they work. In some developed countries, they have set guidelines, but even where those guidelines are set, still doctors in the United Kingdom complain about conditions,” asserted the medical doctor who was accompanied by Minister with responsibility for the QEH Dr Sonia Browne.
Adding that the job is not a glamorous one, he declared: “Health care is not sitting down in an office at a desk or a computer and then leaving at 4.30 and being off for a weekend. That is not hospital medicine!”
Minister Walcott said 176 junior doctors and 12 sessional junior doctors are currently employed at the QEH and a case has been made for additional personnel to address staffing shortages there.
“During the Estimates process, I have been speaking to my colleagues in Cabinet, to the Prime Minister. In the well in Parliament, I [said] that we will need – and put a case for the employment of – additional junior doctors. I have said so since January,” he contended.
Responding to the suggestion that a shift system be introduced, Dr Walcott said while doctors in the Accident and Emergency department do work in shifts, staff are also on-call and junior doctors are compensated with allowances for their long hours.
Sources have informed Barbados TODAY that all junior doctors have been invited to a closed-door listening session on Monday at 2 p.m. in the QEH Auditorium to guide plans “to improve their working conditions and well-being going forward”.
In a statement sent to Barbados TODAY and signed by ‘Concerned Junior Doctors’, the medical professionals said the vicious cycle of long workdays and even longer on-call shifts continued to take a negative toll on their physical and mental well-being.
They said burnout and long sick leave were commonplace and called on authorities to give them relief.
They were supported in their call by BAMP president Dr Lynda Williams who welcomed “an urgent examination of the hours that junior doctors now work”.
“We fully support the need to transition to an ideal number of working hours that will allow them to have safe, productive and fulfilling lives and that will protect the public from harm,” she said.
jeniquebelgrave@barbadostoday.bb

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Staff of the Division of Culture in the Prime Minister’s Office on Friday donated much-needed hampers to the HIV Food Bank and vulnerable families.

During the handover ceremony, Minister with responsibility for Culture Senator Dr Shantal Munro-Knight said they worked hard to be able to donate the critical items.

“This is a part of our ongoing commitment in terms of our work with the HIV/AIDS Commission. The staff have been extremely diligent annually in making sure that we demonstrate that commitment very practically by having presentations to the Food Bank,” she said.

The donation comprised eight baskets, four of which will be given to vulnerable families.

“We wanted to make sure that as a division that yes, we will show our commitment to the HIV Food Bank but recognise as well that there might be other vulnerable families that we want to be able to show that care, that love, and support,” Munro-Knight said.

HIV Food Bank volunteer Kedlyn Morgan-Richards said the donation would go a long way in assisting people most in need.

“It is indeed [on behalf] of the more vulnerable that we can be here this morning to receive this. It is indeed a privilege that persons affected and infected would [benefit] from the great support,” Morgan-Richards said.

“On the behalf of the HIV Food Bank, we indeed say thank you, and it is a big thank you. We know at this time it’s a hard time, so it will indeed go a long way.” (SB)

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By Shamar Blunt

Former acting Director of Medical Services at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), Dr Clyde Cave believes that the facility has not changed sufficiently with the times to be able to help interns cope with their workload.
“The duties of ‘on-call’ doctors in many departments at the QEH have evolved over the past decades. The workload is now closer to a full shift than to being available for a few emergencies,” Dr Cave explained.
“The system has not effectively responded to this, I think in large part because it would be expensive to hire more doctors to accomplish the same work that is being done now. Of course, this false economy is at the expense of quality and working conditions.”
His comments came in response to recent calls by Government Senator Dr Crystal Haynes and consultant physician at the QEH and Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the University of West Indies Cave Hill Campus Dr Kenneth Connell, for the practice of having junior doctors working more than 30 hours per shift to be abolished.
Dr Cave, who was also the former Internship Coordinator at the QEH, told Barbados TODAY that though the institution has changed over the years to better meet the healthcare needs of Barbadians, the system has not responded effectively to better manage the duties of the young doctors.
He also explained that the training hours for interns have also increased over the years in keeping with the demands of the healthcare industry.
“For interns, their apprenticeship is more than just a matter of hours of duty, though that is important too. Mentorship, continuity of care, experience, acquisition of expertise and development of clinical judgment are essential to their professional growth to be eligible for full registration by the Medical Council of Barbados,” noted the respected paediatric consultant.
Dr Clyde stressed however, that simply hiring more doctors will not be enough. Instead, the entire system needs to be re-examined to be able to promote a “culture of patient-centred efficiency” at the healthcare institution.
“The solution, as I see it, is beyond just extra posts, though that is clearly needed. All functions at the hospital would have to operate beyond 8 – 4, and a culture of patient-centred efficiency be promoted. This would entail review and possible reassignment of traditional medical chores with appropriate support from technology and an expanded healthcare team.”
shamarblunt@barbadostoday.bb

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PSYCHIATRIST REVEALS PEOPLE TURNING UP FOR TREATMENT FOR ADDICTION TO POWERFUL DRUG

By Anesta Henry

Methamphetamine, the deadly, white, odourless drug commonly known as “meth” is here in Barbados and a psychiatrist has suggested that some Barbadians may already be addicted to it.
Minister of Home Affairs and Information Wilfred Abrahams announced during a press briefing on Friday that he was seriously concerned with the confirmation from the Government Forensic Science Centre of the presence here of the highly-addictive stimulant that affects the body’s central nervous system.
Authorities have reported intercepting a quantity of the drug being brought from Canada to Barbados earlier this month.
During the briefing at the ministry in Wildey, St Michael, Senior Registrar at the Psychiatric Hospital, Dr Ronald Chase, revealed that persons have already presented to treatment facilities with addiction to meth.
He said that while the patients admitted to using the drug in the past, there was no scientific evidence to show that they used it in Barbados.
“This is the first seizure, so this is the first confirmation of meth being on the island. So unfortunately, I will be blunt and say, there are probably persons already addicted to meth in the country,” Dr Chase said.
Director of the Forensic Sciences Centre, Cheryl Corbin, reported that the centre had its first confirmed meth case late last year.
“We have confirmed the presence of it here, we don’t know how much we have actually missed. But just having the occurrence of one confirmation is more than enough for concern,” Corbin said.
Describing the situation as “serious” Minister Abrahams stressed that authorities need the public’s help to stop the use of the drug from spreading.
The minister said in the coming weeks, Government and private agencies will establish a public awareness drug campaign to highlight the harm associated with meth use, the signs and symptoms in users of the drug and where help may be sought.
“This one is very serious because of how highly addictive it is and because of the societal consequences which flow from a society that is using meth. This is not the time to keep your mouth shut and think that you are protecting somebody or you are not snitching.
“The person that you don’t snitch on, or the person that you don’t encourage to seek help or the person that you don’t seek help for, may all of a sudden just drop dead from the use of meth and then you are going to be asking yourself what if. . .I am asking the young people who are discovering themselves and trying out things, leave this one alone, it will end badly for you,” he said
Also confirming that there are a “couple cases” before the law courts related to meth possession, Minister Abrahams said there are some who felt the public should not be made aware of the development at this point. However, he insisted, the discovery must not be swept under the carpet and Barbadians should be fully informed on the issue.
“We had to be aware of the sensitivities of the investigations, and the proceedings going on in court. I do not, as the Minister of Home Affairs and as the minister under whose portfolio the NCSA [National Council on Substance Abuse] falls, intend to cover up anything in relation to the presence of any drug in Barbados. From the time we know and it is confirmed, we are going to tell you,” Abrahams said.
“And for all those who are going to call this alarmist, the public needs to know upfront what to look out for. If your child is acting strangely or your boyfriend or whoever is acting strangely, you must be able to start to identify or investigate what is going on.
“People need to not be afraid to come forward for assistance, it is not the habit of the police to arrest persons who seek assistance or treatment. So somebody coming into the psychiatric hospital or going to a doctor to try to get assistance for a meth addiction is not going to get arrested for possession. If the police hold you with it, that is a different story.”
Assistant Superintendent Anthony Warner told the briefing that there has not been any large-scale seizures of meth and the drug is not produced on the island.
The police officer said partnerships have been formed with international law enforcement agencies to identify sources and trends used by those trying to get illegal substances into Barbados.
He revealed that on March 14, the quantity of meth was discovered being brought from Canada to Barbados.
“That all has to do with the relationships that we as a country formed with other countries in trying to deal with these issues that we are facing. We are continuing all of our policing initiatives to deal with all types of illegal drugs entering and leaving Barbados.
“I say leaving especially for meth because Barbados would be seen as a transhipment point to traffic these drugs to the real intended destinations, and because of that, some will be left here,” Warner said.
anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb

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The National Nutrition Centre (NNC) has expressed concern about the proliferation of overweight Barbadians and pockets of undernourished people.
Acting Assistant Nutrition Officer at the NNC, Brian Payne, told members of the media on Wednesday that while Barbados has always had less fortunate people who do not get enough nutritious food, “we may expect a higher incidence of undernutrition” as a result of the increase in the cost of living.
“The challenges that we are having in Barbados relate to over nutrition in the sense that . . . we are seeing higher levels of overweight and obesity in children and adults. And a large part of it is associated with diet,” he said as he addressed the centre’s Nutrition Conference, which coincides with National Nutrition Month, at the Radisson Aquatica Resort.
“In terms of overweight and obesity, I can’t give you the numbers now, but you can imagine there has been an increase. People point to the numbers in terms of one-third of the general population being obese and overweight.”
Research conducted in 2012 found that 30 per cent of children in Barbados were overweight, but Payne said the NNC plans to conduct research to determine the updated nutrition status of Barbadians.
He said the recently launched Barbados School Nutrition Policy is one of the key initiatives designed to allow the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education to have some measure of control over what children are eating and drinking in school.
“We are happy with the response thus far. I think there have been some initial challenges and this really relates to trying to sensitise the stakeholders – parents, teachers, students, and the vending community as well,” he said.
“The challenges kind of relate to the fact that it’s hard to get everyone in the same place at the same time. I think we appreciate that we need to meet people where they are so we have been doing more work in the schools to sensitise the students,” Payne added.
The nutrition officer added that the centre has launched its Healthy Eating Guide for Barbados, a public health intervention programme that teaches Barbadians key skills and concepts to help maintain a healthy, balanced diet.
(AH)

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