EDITORIAL: Hospitals getting attention
We Gatherin’ 2020 will shine a spotlight on the hospitals of Barbados, which are earmarked to benefit from this philanthropic drive. Thus, health care institutions such as the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the Psychiatric Hospital, the Geriatric Hospital and other District Hospitals are due to receive much needed financial or in-kind assistance, to improve them.
Minister of Information, Broadcasting and Public Affairs, Senator Lucille Moe revealed the above recently, even as she highlighted the role philanthropy can play, in driving investment into local communities, which is a key component of We Gatherin’ 2020.
Of late, Mount Gay Distillery is said to have thrown its support behind We Gatherin’ 2020, with financial investment, which will benefit one of our hospitals. Executive Director of Mount Gay, Raphael Grisoni recently presented a cheque for $20,000 to the Barbados government, which will go towards the refurbishment of the St. Lucy District Hospital. In addition to that donation, Mount Gay will be providing the services of 150 members of staff to paint the hospital and help with the repair and electrical work, over the next few weeks. Thus, there will be some much needed improvements made to the hospital’s infrastructure, to make the environment aesthetically pleasing and more comfortable for the fifty-two residents who live there. Indeed, this is a start and we must see other organisations stepping forward to do their part, to boost and uplift key institutions in our country, but without a doubt, Barbados’ healthcare system is a good place to start.
From what we are hearing, the St. Lucy District Hospital is in poor condition and is in dire need of some assistance. We cannot have the elderly at our hospitals who are in their golden years, in conditions which are not up to scratch and so, every effort being made to rectify the issues there are commendable. Citizens who can assist in lending a helping hand to do some work at our health care institutions, should also come forward and volunteer of their time, to assist where they can. Indeed, our seniors will be grateful for any facelifts given to the places they now have to reside in, in their latter years.
In the past, nurses at the St. Philip District Hospital also cried out about their poor working and environmental conditions as a spotlight was cast on these hospitals, which provide care for the geriatric population. Government then noted that efforts were on to improve geriatric facilities across the island. Minister of Health Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Bostic pointed out at the time, that his Ministry had an obligation to ensure that the services provided to persons during the later stages of life, were equitable to those enjoyed by the younger, healthier population. As such, he indicated that his Ministry would have been making every effort to ensure that the environs at local geriatric facilities, coincide with the continued delivery of excellent care.
It is clear that in general, there is some work to be done to assist in refurbishing our district hospitals, if the upgrades are to come in a timely manner. So the business sector, non-governmental organisations, faith-based organisations, schools and educational institutions as well as individuals, may need to contribute to enhancing the care provided to the nation’s senior citizens as well as loyal visitors from the Diaspora and overseas in general. So as we all gather, we hope to see some investments being made into our local hospitals.