QEH challenge must be tackled

Opposition Leader, Mia Mottley, is promising a major shake-up as it relates to the Board of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), should the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) secure Government in the future.

 

Her remarks came as she admitted that the QEH has for too long been a “political football” and that efforts at reform have been largely cosmetic and ineffectual. Mottley further contended that under a BLP administration, an apolitical board will be appointed at the island’s lone tertiary health-care institution, comprising persons who have the competence and technical expertise to effectively manage and provide inspirational leadership to the complex institution. 

 

She told those attending the 80th University of the West Indies (UWI)/Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners (BAMP) Awards Ceremony, held in the Henry Fraser Lecture Theatre, Cave Hill Campus on Friday night, that this is the approach she took when appointing the boards of the Barbados Investment and Development Corporation and Invest Barbados, back in 2006 when she held the Economic Development portfolio in Cabinet. Mottley insists that such institutions are too critical for them to be subjected to partisan politics.

 

Touching on the issue of financing the QEH, she said it must be known what each service at the QEH costs, if Barbados is to appropriately finance the institution to deliver the core services required. 

 

“We must be disciplined that where new specialised services are needed, we must acquire them through partnerships with you, recognising each new service must be justified both in terms of clinical need and cost/benefit analysis. We must be guided also by where research tells us we are most likely to get the greatest impact for our investments. We also know we can make no progress unless we address the organisational cultures and ensure that it takes into account empowerment of workers and departments, while holding them accountable for what they must deliver,” she added.

 

Her comments came as she maintained that the leadership at the QEH must have the skills to bring about increased productivity, clinical excellence and exceptional customer service, while ensuring that Barbadians have access to the best health care. 

 

Moreover, she said that the QEH must become a truly 24-hour hospital, where every ancillary department is effectively manned, allowing persons to conduct business regardless of the time. Additionally, she is proposing that the resources to open at least two polyclinics on a 24-hour basis must also be sought, to be able to take some of the burden off the “overworked” Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department at the QEH. Such facilities she said could provide minor surgeries, basic X-rays and an asthma bay to relieve some of the pressure on the A&E. 

 

“The polyclinics can continue to handle the brunt of managing the NCDs [non communicable diseases] efficiently during the day, but using technology, telemedicine to considerably expand the services they can offer to the public,” she stated. (JRT)