Whether the late Branford Taitt, late Erskine Sandiford, Billie Miller, John Boyce, the recently elevated President Jeffrey Bostic, or the invisible Jerome Walcott, one thing remains constant – a recurring theme, much like a recurring decimal: a pattern that repeats endlessly.
Barbadians have become numb at the inability of the two main parties to address system problems that have perennially plagued our healthcare system, in particularly our primary healthcare institution the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH). There was the usual political rhetoric generated by the transition to statutory board, the removal of the position of Executive Chairman of the Board, the appointment of Dexter James as CEO, of recent another expat Neil Clarke and a few others. Nothing has changed to address long wait times in the A&E, the dysfunctional relationship between ‘consultants’ and the management of the QEH that results in piss poor patient care related to elective and non elective surgeries.
The blogmaster does not intend to waste time recounting the many examples of an inefficient healthcare system. The problems are well know.Were the recommendations contained in the Richie Haynes report implemented?
The following is an extract from a 2019 BU blog that remains relevant six year later.
Successive governments have mismanaged the QEH. Despite the band-aiding by DLP and BLP talking heads, what cannot be refuted is the perennial unavailability of supplies at the QEH resulting in the inability to deliver efficient health care. Individuals who can afford it will access private health care. The upside is that some doctors in private practice are laughing all the way to the bank
Source:QEH on Death’s Bed
It is interesting to note several of the former ministers of health have been awarded national recognition, however, nothing materially has occurred to arrest the declining health care delivery at the QEH. Of course some receive good treatment, of course compared to other hospitals in the region we are not the worse BUT by what is required given the wait times, reports of poor service delivery there is significant opportunity to do better.
When out of favour former CEO Dr. Dexter James took the job in 2009 he expressed he identified the QEH’s core problems as structural, rising demand from the public, chronic under financing, and inefficiencies that threatened the hospital’s sustainability. Fifteen years later current CEO Neil Clark outlined an agenda of modernising outdated infrastructure, expanding surgical capacity, and restoring public trust in the nation’s flagship hospital. Same tired lines.
The reality is that the crisis facing Barbados’ healthcare system is the accumulation of deep structural and systemic failures that have cemented over decades. From an under resourced primary care network that cannot absorb the burden of chronic disease, to a QEH strained by collasping infrastructure, chronic staffing shortages, and high level mismanagement. The result is a recurring decimal scenario where the same problems resurface with every new appointment of minister, CEO, Board or government. Until Barbados conjure up the will to confront the structural weaknesses with sustained, non‑partisan reform, our healthcare system will remain trapped in a vicious cycle.
The blogmaster invites you to join and add value to the discussion.