Bajan men continue to be disproportionately represented in HIV and AIDS statistics. So much so, that Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Kirk Humphrey is expressing the hope that these, in addition to the overall numbers for testing, will increase over the next few years.

According to Humphrey, this is going to be essential as the country continues its fight to eradicate the virus.

The minister’s comments were made during an HIV/AIDS service at the Church of the Nazarene in Bank Hall, St Michael, this morning. Speaking to the congregation made up of members from the National HIV/AIDS Commission, he noted that beyond prayer there has to be a conversation around prevention and it must be age and culturally appropriate if it is going to make sense and reach the ears of the targeted.

“… A way that does not turn off people because then it becomes about ourselves. We said what we said and we don’t care what you think — no. If it is about the people we are serving it has to be in a way that they can receive it,” he added.

According to statistics, the number of known HIV/AIDS cases stood at 2 493 in 2020. Acknowledging that during the COVID-19 pandemic figures for other scourges such as child abuse and intimate partner violence increased, the minister concluded that people living with HIV/AIDS may have also increased given the realities of society. This is why Humphrey also contended that part of the conversation has to be about early detection and prolonging life, which has been aided by the use of antiretroviral therapy.

“He added: “The doctors would tell you that we haven’t found a way to stop HIV from becoming AIDS but we’ve found a way to reduce the possibility of it happening if you take the medication. The virus, if left untreated, would probably lead to AIDS. That is why we have to make sure that medication is available to all and the theme Putting Ourselves to the Test: Achieving Equity to End HIV symbolizes the idea that all must be able to have access in this country. It means persons with disability, the older population, those who are poor, any particular group … We have to make sure to find a way where all persons have access and people are treated in a way that they could be respected at the end of the day.”

Additionally, Humphrey implored the church’s partnership in the fight. He stated that the Government cannot do it alone.

“It is not over yet. Not talking about it does not mean it is over and I commend all who have been doing this work for so long and I trust that together we can continue to serve those who need our help,” Humphrey stressed. (KC)

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Nine months after a promise that they would once more get a Government stipend to ease the financial burden of full time study, student nurses are yet to receive the money.

And the Barbados Nurses’ Association (BNA), management of the Barbados Community College (BCC) and student nurses themselves are hoping that the current administration will make good on its promise.

Last February, Minister of Health and Wellness Ian Gooding-Edghill announced that Government would re-introduce the stipend some eight years after it was stopped and at a cost to taxpayers of $2 million annually.

On Monday following a scholarship award ceremony at the college, members of the nursing community renewed the call for the financial help.

“Since 2017, we have been advocating as the Barbados Nurses’ Association for the stipend to recommence to nursing students so that it could assist them with their studies. Leaving school and coming to study is hard; they have to travel to different health institutions as part of their studies.

“Also, the books and the materials that you have to acquire when you want to be a nurse are not cheap. We were told that it would be reinstated so we are waiting for the stipend to be reinstated to the nursing students of all years,”said president of the BNA Valerie Francis-Miller.

Deputy principal of BCC Dr Cheryl Weekes said the campus had already submitted the necessary information to start the process.

She too conceded that it was difficult being a student nurse since the financial requirements of the study could put strain on them.

“What I can say from the college’s standpoint is that the ministry has indeed been in touch with us and we have provided the necessary information in terms of the names of the students and the information they require in order to process the stipend. We are thankful that this is going to be reinstated because we know that it will go a long way to help the students in their profession reaching that level,” she said.

“Being a student and studying nursing is very difficult. It is not an 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. kind of study programme in the sense that the students have to do clinicals and those clinicals can run till 9 p.m. because they try to work to shifts.

“It is difficult for a student to be here full time going into the clinical area and then working another job unable to sustain themselves.”

In February, Gooding-Edghill said in a press statement that first-year nursing students would be paid a stipend of $458.89 per month; second-years $578.53; third-years $698.16 and fourth-years $798.16.

To maintain the stipend, the nursing students would be required to maintain passing grades for all courses according to the criteria set by the BCC. They would also be placed on a two-year Government performance bond after completion of their four-year nursing degree.

The minister said he hoped the stipend would take pressure off the students and their families and lead to an increase in the number of nurses.

Weekes said that the stipend could encourage more people to study nursing especially in light of the on-going nursing shortage.

“It would be an incentive also, for more persons to join the profession to join the training, at least because they know that the challenges of not having the finances would be alleviated to a certain extent . . .  So this is coming at an opportune time when we know that we have a shortage of nurses. Having an incentive will encourage more persons, younger persons, to pursue nursing as a career.”

Francis-Miller said nurses also needed more incentives in the form of educational and career development opportunities.

“Migration is something that has been happening in Barbados for years. It has not just started. Nurses are continuing to migrate and we have, as a nurses’ association, been asking and advocating for incentives to help keep our nurses here. We would like some more incentives.”

Second year student nurse Aldaro Blackman agreed that the programme was financially difficult especially when travel costs and book and equipment expenses are factored in.

He said: “Nursing as a major is very expensive.”

There are close to 400 student nurses training at BCC.

sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb

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The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in collaboration with the Cancer Support Services is intensifying its cancer treatment services to embrace a more patient-centered model.

On Friday during the signing of another Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two entities at the Martindale’s Road, St Michael facility, executive chairman of the QEH Juliette Bynoe-Sutherland said it was important that the hospital adjusted its approach to palliative care because of the emotional trauma and fear cancer could evoke.

She added that having a more patient-focused approach helped to create an environment where cancer patients would see that there was life beyond their diagnosis.

“Cancer evokes a tremendous amount of fear and emotional response. Some people don’t even want to call the word but what research shows and the Cancer Support Services has been able to demonstrate is that cancer diagnosis does not have to mean the end of the road. There are many people in Barbados who are living with cancer. who are coping… and meeting with others who are also going through these experiences,” she said.

“Understanding what it means to face this diagnosis has really enriched the whole arena of addressing cancer. There have been many people who have been able to live with a cancer diagnosis. What we are here doing at the hospital, we are working on the two spectrums – ensuring that we could provide treatment care and support for those who have a diagnosis . . . making sure they can live with the diagnosis and thrive.

“We are also, on the other end of things, recognising palliative care is also an important part, how we die and how we support persons as they transition is as important as how we bring them into this world.

“As an institution, we have a duty to make sure that we are providing the best quality services across the spectrum from birth through to the end of life and this is what our partnership with this organisation allows us to do.”

Director of Nursing Services Henderson Pinder said the QEH had trained about 80 medical practitioners in its palliative care enrichment programme. He made a case for the course to be conducted two or three times per year instead of once.

“Our palliative care enrichment programme has been one of the most successful ventures we have had with the Cancer Support Services. This programme enables healthcare workers – doctors, nurses and other support persons – to gain a new perspective of the care that they give.

“It gives them an opportunity to look at the care from the caregiver’s side and also from the patient’s side. It helps them to be able to see some of the sensitivities that they themselves have about cancer, about dying, about going through the process of end of life,” he said. “Medical persons who have been through this course, have reported that they have begun to be more sensitive to the needs of the patient and the families and putting them at the front of the care process.”

Bynoe-Sutherland added that the QEH has increased its provision of medical drugs and amalgamated the hematology oncology and nuclear medicine departments to allow for better synergy to attend to patients with cancer.

Executive director of Cancer Support Services Janette Lynton expressed pride at the work of both entities and said she wanted to strengthen her organisation’s relationship with the children on C7 and C8.

According to her, the doctors on those wards wanted more representatives from the Cancer Support Services to give parents with children who have been diagnosed with cancer more support. (SZB)

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Building upon the Caribbean’s innovative and successful partnership between tourism and health, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) has launched the first CARICOM (Caribbean Community)-approved health safety and environmental sanitation (HSE) hospitality standards to improve health, safety, and environmental quality in the regional hospitality sector, funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

The standards – which include Food Safety and Sanitation; Energy Management; Water Treatment and Management; Sewage Treatment and Management; Solid Waste Management; Integrated Pest Management; and Environmental Management Systems – were unveiled by CARPHA at the Magdalena Grand Beach and Golf Resort in Tobago on Monday, November 14, with the support of senior officials of the Tobago government, the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), and the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA).

Dr Joy St John, CARPHA’s Executive Director, who earlier this year signed an agreement with the CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) to further develop the standards, said these seven regional clean and green standards are a key component for providing assurance to travelers about company commitment to health and safety and towards avoiding or mitigating health threats to the Caribbean tourism product.

Each of the standards is equipped with an assessment checklist to easily guide the industry through a process of recognizing and achieving the standards. Upon completion, after verification by CARPHA, the company will be eligible to receive CARPHA’s Tourism Health Program (THP) Healthier, Safer Tourism Award.

“There is now a verifiable way of having the suite of standards act as a crucial tool for establishing the quality of Caribbean tourism,” Dr St John stated.

Health and tourism professionals throughout the Caribbean have placed a high priority on the well-being and health and safety of the industry’s employees and travelers. Through the intervention of a unique partnership with CTO and CHTA, established by CARPHA in 2014, the Caribbean was well positioned to respond strategically during the pandemic and now during its recovery.

In 2020 and 2021, CARPHA also trained 7,000 hospitality professionals in preventing and controlling COVID-19 in the tourism sector. This contributed to the Caribbean tourism product’s ability to rebound quickly after the end of the “lockdown” phase of the pandemic.

The standards are currently voluntary and certified properties that meet all seven standards will be eligible for a platinum distinction.

Dr Lisa Indar, CARPHA’s Director of the Surveillance Disease Prevention and Control Division – who recently facilitated THP stakeholder training in preparation for the Tobago carnival last month – was congratulated by senior officials for her leadership and commitment to the process of standards development since 2018.

Dr Faith B Yisrael, Deputy Chief Secretary and Secretary for Health, Wellness and Social Protection, Division of Health, Wellness and Social Protection, Tobago House of Assembly, congratulated CARPHA and its partners for developing the standards. She encouraged tourism stakeholders to utilize them and not leave them on shelves gathering dust: “If we pull together and if we actually follow these robust standards … we would all really truly survive whatever is to come next.”

Councillor Tashia Burris, Secretary for Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation, Division of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation, Tobago House of Assembly, said the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that having robust policies, standards and regulations can help save lives and livelihoods.

Neil Walters, Acting CTO Secretary General, believes the standards are another incremental step towards ensuring the future of the region’s tourism sector: “I believe we are laying the foundation for a more sustainable, world-class, regional tourism sector as this very important sector moves forward in its recovery.”

Frank Comito, Special Advisor to CHTA, which has supported the health and safety awards program from its inception, noted that the standards can uplift the tourism industry’s continued commitment to the health and safety of its employees and visitors, “which can help us to deliver our promise to the world and there is no better place for mental, physical and spiritual well-being than in the Caribbean.” (PR)

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Barbados needs a sustainable healthcare financing plan, given the significant issues plaguing the sector, says Minister of Health, Senator The Most Honourable Dr Jerome Walcott.

And that plan, he said on Tuesday, could potentially result in the Government broadening the tax system from which healthcare is partially funded.

He made the disclosure on day one of the four-day International Review of Health Financing Reform Options in Barbados at the Hilton Hotel.

During the event, hosted in collaboration with the World Health Organisation and the Pan American Health Organisation, Minister Walcott said the island’s healthcare system was under strain and there was a need for a sustainable reformative framework.

“ . . . Several challenges still remain. These include an ageing population, with over 13 per cent above the age of 65, an increasing presence of non-communicable diseases, the occurrence of new and reemerging communicable diseases, the rise in injuries due to accidents and unlawful behaviour, the public’s expectations of services on par with industrialised countries and an ageing QEH [Queen Elizabeth Hospital] plant and other health infrastructure.

“In these circumstances, we found the current model of health financing has become a pressing priority due to the increasing cost of public health care services in Barbados caused by a combination of demand and supply side factors,” he said.

The Health Minister said Barbados was committed to achieving universal health services and delivering quality health services, noting that the island had adopted the Beveridge model.

Under that model, he explained, the Government provides health care for all citizens which is financed from the Consolidated Fund and a health levy collected by the National Insurance Scheme.

“Any decline in the revenue intake of Government would be reflected in a reduced allocation to the health sector, hence, an important part of the search for a new model of health financing,” Minister Walcott said.

He added that the Government would consider all options to ensure it can provide quality services, including adjusting the tax collection system.

“There is also a need to strengthen domestic tax systems and ensure that health remains a priority in resources being allocated. This is not a unique role of the health sector; therefore, there is need for a whole-of-government approach to include other sectors and ministries such as the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the intimate working group we have established to garner support from the other strategic partners both locally and overseas,” he said.

The Health Minister pointed out that the health sector played a significant role in the development of the economy, as it creates jobs, drives productivity, stimulates inclusive growth and protects the economy from the impacts of outbreaks and other emergencies.

That is why, he said, it was important for the island to invest in building a resilient health system based on strong primary health care.

Referencing the World Health Report in 2010, Minister Walcott said that 20 to 40 per cent of global resources allocated to health care were being wasted, noting that the report emphasised the need to promote efficiency.

He said Barbados was taking the necessary steps to ensure it ran its healthcare sector efficiently by engaging the University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus in carrying out a study to develop programme unit costs.

Other initiatives to address inefficiencies include significant improvement in the regulatory functions, strategic and effective purchasing of health inputs, comprehensive review and improvement of human practices, and effective separation of regulatory functions from the provisions of services where appropriate.

Barbados is also taking other steps such as strengthening health information systems, reforming the Barbados Drug Service and implementing performance reviews and development systems.

Minister Walcott said that based on additional health financing work conducted last November, there were four key highlights that must inform the development of a proper health finance framework for Barbados.

He said health financing must assist in controlling morbidity; medical services and other service delivery systems must be geared toward the effective utilisation of best practices to ensure efficient use of scarce resources; equity of access must become a reality within the healthcare system as the population must be shielded from catastrophic healthcare expenditure; and resilience must be built into the healthcare system, given prospects of natural disasters and pandemics affecting the Caribbean.

The Health Minister said those events had the potential to cripple the economy and an emergency fund must be developed. (SZB)

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Some Barbados Community College (BCC) students struggled to cope in the online learning environment during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and had to seek help for mental health issues.

That disclosure came from principal Annette Alleyne who said that when most classes were conducted online due to COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions, the BCC management had received increased reports from the institution’s Counselling and Placement Centre about students with mental health challenges.

She said it was also noted in BCC Registrar Roger Worrell’s report that the number of students requesting extended studies had doubled between 2020 and 2021.

“It was unusual. A large number of students were asking for extended studies – another year and another semester – because some of them chose to defer from various programmes. In some instances where we had students doing clinicals, they couldn’t get into the sites to do their clinicals. But in a number of cases, the students had chosen to defer some of their programmes,” Alleyne said at BCC’s Convocation Ceremony.

“And then when students did their portfolio for the visual arts and so on, a number of . . . their pieces showed the struggle some of them had with anxiety, with loneliness, depression, etc. So we knew that it was a concern for the students during the online period and that is why we have made such a great push to have students come back face-to-face.”

She added that the Students Guild had also hosted a Mental Health Week focused on issues affecting the student body.

“[They] had various initiatives and activities that could help to alleviate some of the stressors that they were experiencing,” Alleyne explained.

The principal highlighted research conducted in the United States which indicated that students who experienced mental health challenges during the pandemic appeared to be ‘quiet quitting’ – that is, doing just enough to complete their studies and not going the extra mile.

However, Alleyne cautioned the new students that the “just enough and no more” attitude had serious repercussions in an extremely competitive world, as she told them that those who gave more were the ones who excelled and succeeded.

“If you are struggling with depression, anxiety, loneliness, there is help, ask for help. Join a club, form a study group, reach out to our Counselling and Placement Centre; there is help. If you are struggling with mental health challenges, do not be one of the one-third of college students who are quiet quitting,” she said.

The BCC principal also put the newcomers on notice that the excitement and euphoria they felt at the start of their college journey would eventually fade and they might begin to feel exhausted and even question why they were there.

“And it is at these times when you need your community, a friend, a study group, someone to be able to give a word of encouragement. And our theme for this year, One Community, Working Together, Achieving Together, becomes even more appropriate.

“Life will throw things at you – a pandemic, an ashfall, a hurricane, some weird weather patterns where roofs get blown off and so on, the unexpected loss of a friend or loved one, betrayal, these things happen in life. But what it is that will keep you going and keep you firm in the face of any of these adversaries will be your sense of purpose and what it is that you want to achieve,” Alleyne said. (AH)

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Speaking on Starcom’s Down To Brass Tacks call-in radio programme on Friday, Gooding-Edghill said he has met with the hospital’s senior leadership team along with the Minister of State responsible for QEH affairs Dr Sonia Browne, to review an Accident and Emergency Improvement Plan.

“What we will need though, is some additional resources and we are working on those resources. I have a follow-up meeting with the A&E leadership team and that will happen very shortly. But we have to remove some of the administrative functions and burdens from the doctors to allow the doctors in A&E to focus exclusively on [clinical duties],” he said.

“There are instances sometimes where a doctor may have to go and fetch information, a doctor may have to go and source some additional medical resources in order to execute and perform a task. That’s what I meant by some of the administrative stuff,” the Health Minister explained.

He told his radio audience that authorities are trying to work through that and are fine-tuning the improvement plan.

“Once we do that, we would also be in a better position … to give them some additional resources. For example, in terms of how you run and manage an ER. One of the things I think we will have to look at is the whole management of the ER itself and how that is administered. If you can take away some of those non-critical functions from doctors and have personnel focusing on those other areas, it would free up some of the time available for the doctors to do what they have to do,” Gooding-Edghill suggested.

He said when he reviewed the plan, it was exciting even as he engaged with the team.

“We have a plan to address minor cases that present to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. I have indicated before that the Queen Elizabeth Hospital is a place for reassurance. In my experience there, when people are feeling unwell, they go to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for immediate treatment. They go to the A&E for example, as the first stop, because if they can’t afford to go to a private care facility, they would come to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, and that is where they have the best treatment, and they know the best treatment would be given to them,” the Health Minister contended.

He noted that even though A&E is an emergency facility, a patient with pain in some part of their body is not concerned about whether it’s urgent, they just want care and therefore go to the QEH.

“So therefore what we have to do, is to implement within the Accident and Emergency Department, a Minor Cases Unit, which would allow for example, patients to be fast-tracked based on the urgency of the cases they present and also that they present to the A&E department,” he announced.

“The Minor Cases Unit will also be suitable for patients. For example, if there is an injury that may require some resources from the hospital, of course they would go to the hospital. If there are other injuries for example, that are non-life or limb-threatening injuries, then obviously, the Minor Cases Unit can deal with those,” the Minister said.

Gooding-Edghill provided data to show the level of traffic that continues to pass through the A&E.

“The Accident and Emergency Department in 2019 registered 37,660 patient visits, 46 per cent of those patients that visited in 2019, accounted for hospital admissions. The remainder obviously were dealt with and discharged. Now in 2020, interestingly enough and obviously because of COVID and so on, there was a reduction. 29,667 patients would have visited the Accident and Emergency, and 49 per cent of the total were admitted. So, those statistics alone tell me very clearly that not every visit to the A&E would require hospitalisation,” the Minister of Health said.

“The issue here for Barbadians is the time that they have to spend waiting in A&E. And if we continue to improve the processes, I think that we will definitely see some improvement,” he said.

He also said that a Patient Relations Service, which is at the pilot stage, is currently in operation at A&E and on some wards, but will be expanded across the hospital in due course.

Gooding-Edghill also announced that the hospital would soon be measuring patient satisfaction based on a structured feedback system. He said too that having completed phases one and two of the A&E expansion project, the third phase is currently in the works. (EJ)

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Health authorities have announced an initiative to address the eye surgery backlog at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) and they are hoping to show significant progress in three months.

Minister of Health and Wellness Ian Gooding-Edghill told a Down To Brass Tacks radio talk show on Starcom Network on Friday that he is on a mission to cut the number of patients waiting for cataract surgeries and to improve care in the shortest possible time.

The minister promised to monitor the situation over the next three months, assuring the public that if the numbers did not reach the targeted level, he would turn to the Cubans for additional manpower. He said when he took up the ministry, there were 1,750 patients waiting for cataract surgery, but after meeting with the Department of Opthalmology, he was assured the backlog had started to be reduced.

“On a monthly basis, I am requesting the number of surgeries being performed on the patients with cataracts. The information I will give you will be at September 12. We have conducted 34 public surgeries. Those were surgeries that were performed.

“Back in July there were 68 completed and in August, the number was a bit lower, 34, but there were issues related to doctors with COVID and therefore they couldn’t operate. What has been provided to us is that the opthamologists are prepared to do at least 95 cases per month,” Gooding-Edghill said. He noted that the eye specialists had experienced some challenges with the equipment, almost all of which have now been resolved.

“We have had to source additional packs. These are packs that are used for cataract surgeries, and we are expected to receive 120 from Trinidad and Tobago and another 300 from a local supplier this week,” he revealed.

Gooding-Edghill also said he had directed the QEH to ensure it has at least 750 packs to ensure that there are no delays in surgery due to the unavailability of such packs.

“We have also identified additional space at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital that can be easily retrofitted to allow for more surgeries to be performed,” he told his radio audience. “We are taking steps to bring this on stream. But I can tell you we are committed to reducing the backlog without compromising other eye surgeries,” the minister said.

He disclosed that the plan also involves increasing the number of nurses so that cataract procedures can be done in the morning and in the afternoon.

“In the longer term, we will also have to look at another theatre. We are working on that. But our immediate goal is to clear the backlog of cataract surgeries, and I give you the assurance that I will be monitoring progress on a monthly basis,” he pointed out.

“There has to be a high sense of urgency in dealing with the cataract because obviously, it can lead to blindness,” he added.

“We will ensure that the doctors have the equipment and they have the necessary resources. But at the same time, we have to measure progress because if we still have a population asking and people complaining that they can’t get the surgeries, then we have to have plan B.

“So plan B is an opportunity to seek assistance where required and if necessary,” the minister pointed out. “What I will do is that I will monitor the monthly reports, I will see where we are going over the next three months in respect of the number of surgeries performed.

“Obviously, if we hit the target, everything is a home run as they say in baseball. If that doesn’t happen, I must tell you that I will have to continue discussions with the Cuban Ambassador with a view of obviously having additional resources to mobilise to get to Barbados,” he disclosed.

Emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb

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Government is willing to do all in its power to ensure that Barbadians have access to pharmaceuticals and medical services at an affordable cost to control the rising incidence of non-communicable diseases on the island.

Prime Minister Mia Mottley, speaking during Friday’s groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a $12 million, 24-hour, urgent care centre at Bayview Hospital expressed the hope that a sensible solution could be reached without going the route of price controls.

She stated: “This government is prepared to take action now to protect us and our consumers in the area of medical services because we believe that it is not only the supermarket or it is not only at the gas station that we seek to control prices, but also in the delivery of services across the entire spectrum.”

“I say so, conscious that as I have met with the private sector to deal with food costs and to ask them to cap their mark-ups between 15 and 20 per cent that regrettably in the area of pharmaceuticals, we continue to face markups in this country that are prohibitive and unacceptable especially in this environment within which we are functioning.”

The Prime Minister pointed out that industry stakeholders also had a duty to ensure that they don’t price themselves “out of people’s reach especially at this particular time” noting that she hoped that the sense of volunteerism that characterised the social partnership and the “way we do things,” would also guide this process.

Mottley said that the social cost of keeping the prices as they are currently, is a situation that should not continue, given the challenges with the high prevalence of non-communicable diseases.

The Prime Minister maintained that citizens must not stay at home instead of seeking medical care on account of the high costs involved. Mottley also shared that ongoing work with the World Health Organization to map out an affordable national health insurance scheme would continue with a decision expected sometime next year.

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Stakeholders are taking steps to remove unhealthy food options from the school canteens.

Chief Education Officer Dr Ramona Archer-Bradshaw said with the new School Nutrition Policy approved by Cabinet, they are going all out to ensure that local but healthy foods will be used to feed the nation’s youth.

“I recommend that we rely on foods that are grown locally and regionally in the preparation of lunches and snacks for our school-aged children. We need to think about how we can prepare local foods such as breadfruit, potatoes, eddoes, yams and green bananas so that they become the foods of choice for our young people,” the Chief Education officer said.

She was speaking at a virtual Vendors Training Session put on by the Childhood Obesity Prevention Programme of the Heart & Stroke Foundation, on Saturday.

“It is true that our children are generally not accustomed to these foods so we have to think about strategies and dishes that are prepared with these ground provisions that are attractive and tasty. Rather than the pasta and the English potato dishes with which they are very comfortable,” she said.

Archer-Bradshaw also raised the issue of high salt, fat and sugar intake, which she said can lead to children being overweight and be the main cause of cardiovascular diseases.

Chairman of the Barbados Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition Dr Kia Lewis opened her presentation by asking,”Are we setting our children up for success?”

“I want to say that the decisions that we are making for our children now is going to affect their health in adulthood and collectively it is going to affect the future health of our nation,” she pointed out.

“The health decisions that we are teaching our children in their formative years, that often lay the foundation for the health and practices that they are going to continue into adulthood and they are going to pass it onto their children.This is very much generational,” Dr Lewis said.

In May 2022, the Cabinet of Barbados approved the School Nutrition Policy and the Ministry of Education will be implementing strategies in the new school year to make the school environment a healthier one. (MR)

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