Ahead of one of the strongest hurricanes to pass through the Caribbean in a decade, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) activated its Regional Coordination Plan and the Regional Response Mechanism.

The regional response teams, including the CARICOM Disaster and Assessment Coordination Team, the CARICOM Operations Support Team and the Regional Security System, have placed the CARICOM Disaster Relief Unit on stand-by as several Leeward Islands face a Category Five Hurricane Irma with winds clocking some 180mph.

“The CDEMA Coordinating Unit is preparing the Operational Plan with potential scenarios and Pre-Impact Analysis of vulnerable areas in the threatened States. CDEMA is equipped to offer support through the mobilisation and deployment surge capacity in specialised technical areas to its Participating States, and stands ready to respond as required,” the agency outlined in an update.

Highlighting that the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology had outlined that the system would produce life threatening conditions with very strong winds, high storm surge and heavy rainfall, CDEMA pointed out that several institutions including the Caribbean Public Health Agency, the Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance, the Pan American Health Organisation and several UN agencies were on standby to give necessary support.

Also actively monitoring the progress of Irma, the Caribbean Tourism Organisation expressed its concern for residents and visitors in the countries that are in the hurricane’s projected path, and extended prayers that the impact will be reduced.

“We have been in contact with our members and they assure us that they have been taking all the necessary steps to ensure that they are in a state of readiness. We take this storm seriously. The safety of the Caribbean’s citizens and our visitors is the number one concern for the authorities and emergency response teams throughout the region,” it highlighted.

AN elderly Christ Church woman is lucky to have escaped major injuries when strong winds extensively damaged the roof of her two-bedroom house yesterday.

Around 9 a.m., 68-year-old Patsy Trotman was inside of her St David’s home when she heard the noise of the roof being lifted by the wind.

Trotman was too distraught to speak to the media, however, her daughter Betty Trotman told The Barbados Advocate that the incident has left her mother shaken and saddened.

She said the elderly woman would be staying with a daughter who lives next door until her house is repaired.

“My older sister called me and told me to come because the wind had lifted the roof off my mother’s house. When I got here, some of the guys from in the neighbourhood were helping my mom to take out her belongings and put them at my sister next door. But really and truly, the wind was really strong this morning,” the daughter said.

Chairman of the National Assistance Board (NAB), Senator David Durant, who was at the scene, told the media he was satisfied that Ms Trotman would be able to stay with relatives until it is safe for her to move back into her house.

“At least I know the elderly lady would be safe with her daughter and that is a relief to me. But the house is in dire need of repair.

“I have contacted the relevant authorities already and we will see what we can do to help the situation. The lady is elderly and she has been living here all of her life,” Durant said. (AH)

“WE must commit to simplifying and streamlining existing regulations, behaviours, and practices that impact business and trade facilitation.”

This is according to Christopher Sinckler, Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, who was speaking at the Closing Workshop for the Barbados Competitiveness Programme facilitated by that programme in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.

He acknowledged, “So it is no wonder then that domestic policymakers, domestic stakeholders in the local economy, international institutions and ultimately investors have and continue to focus their attention on Barbados’ international rankings according to two leading indices – the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI), published annually by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in its Global Competitiveness Report (GCR) and the Ease of Doing Business, also published annually by the World Bank in its Doing Business Report.

“There is justification in these concerns. Our Global Competitiveness ranking fell from 44th out of 144 economies surveyed in 2012-2013, to 55th out of 144 economies in 2014-2015, to 72nd out of 138 economies surveyed in 2016-2017.

“The Doing Business reports painted a similar picture. The 2013 edition ranked the ‘ease of doing business’ in Barbados 88th out of 180 countries surveyed in 2012. This position slipped progressively over the years and according to Doing Business 2017, Barbados was ranked 117th out of 190 countries overall in 2016, including a ranking of 125th in the specific area of ‘Trading across borders’.”

He added, “While we may be tempted to challenge certain aspects of these indices, including their sources of under-lying information and the universality of their methodologies, we cannot challenge the fact that as a country [we are] heavily dependent on international trade (over BDS$3 billion spent on imports since 2010) for domestic consumption and production. This is where the Barbados Competitiveness Programme comes in.” (NB)

Scores of flights have been cancelled and regional airports closed as islands batten down ahead of Hurricane Irma.

Irma was upgraded to an extremely dangerous Category Five Hurricane yesterday morning as it bore its way towards the Leeward Islands, clocking winds of up to 180mph.

Irma was projected to impact the Leeward Islands, including Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, and the British and US Virgin Islands from last night into today.

Several of these islands issued national shutdowns from midday yesterday with residents making last minute preparations and Antigua shut down the V.C. Bird International Airport ahead of the storm.

As a result of the system, regional airline Liat was forced to cancel 36 flights yesterday between the islands. In addition, 32 of its flights have been cancelled today including: LI 773 from Antigua to Barbados, LI 381 from Antigua to Dominica, LI 381 from Dominica to Barbados, LI 521 from Tortola to St. Kitts, LI 521 from St. Kitts to Antigua, LI 521 from Antigua to Barbados, LI 362 from Barbados to Antigua, LI 310 from St. Lucia to Antigua, LI 300 from Barbados to Tortola, LI 301 from Tortola to Barbados, LI 314 from Antigua to St. Maarten, LI 314 from St. Maarten to Tortola, LI 315 from Tortola to St. Maarten, LI 315 from St. Maarten to St. Kitts, LI 315 from St. Kitts to Antigua, LI 364 from Barbados to Dominica, LI 364 from Dominica to Antigua, LI 312 from Antigua to St. Kitts, LI 312 from St. Kitts to St. Maarten, LI 317 from St. Maarten to Antigua, LI 309 from Antigua to St. Lucia, LI 523 from Antigua to Dominica, LI 523 from Dominica to Barbados, LI 508 from Antigua to St. Kitts, LI 508 from St. Kitts to St. St. Maarten, LI 508 from St. Maarten to Tortola, LI 509 from Tortola to Antigua, LI 524 from Barbados to Dominica, LI 524 from Dominica to Antigua, LI 512 from Barbados to Antigua, LI 512 from Antigua to St. Kitts, LI 512 from St. Kitts to Tortola.

Also Caribbean Airlines has cancelled two flights today including: BW 456 from Port of Spain to St. Maarten and BW 457 from Kingston to St. Maarten.

Meanwhile, British Airways has cancelled flights between Gatwick and Antigua and Tobago yesterday.

“We are doing all we can to get our customers to their final destinations and some customers will be able to re-book with Caribbean Airlines via Port of Spain or with our partner American Airlines via Miami,” said BA, adding, “We are keeping our flights to other Caribbean islands under review, pending the latest information from the airport authorities.”

Virgin Atlantic adjusted yesterday’s flight today from Antigua to Gatwick to include a stop in St Lucia, from where it will continue to London.

All airlines have offered passengers affected by these cancellations free rebooking up to specific dates and urged these individuals to get into contact with their respective airline. (JMB)

A call has been for teachers’ unions in Barbados and school principals to come together, to ensure that less school leavers fall through the cracks, resulting in less persons available to engage in criminal activity.

The call has come from coordinator of the September 3rd Foundation, David Comissiong, who recently issued some anti-violence remarks, ahead of activities to commemorate the 7th anniversary of the Campus Trendz tragedy, which saw six young ladies losing their lives in a fire in the City, due to a lawless act of violence.

Lending his voice on the topic of the upsurge in gun violence in Barbados, Comissiong declared, “It seems as if we cannot really look to the political class for leadership. And if we can’t look to the political class, then who do we look to? Well, we have to look to ourselves.”

“I believe that one of the areas that we could very fruitfully look to is the whole area of education. The whole area of schools. I want to single out the schools, because, we have our young people in formal educational institutions for twelve years of their lives, from the age of four to sixteen, it is compulsory for every young Barbadian to be in an educational programme, so you have twelve years in which to make a difference,” he commented.

“We have them for twelve years, (but) we are not really making the best of those twelve years, because far too many of them are coming out after twelve years, lost, alienated, dysfunctional. So something is wrong,” Comissiong maintained.

“So I would like to say to Ms. Maryann Redman (President of the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union), Mr. Pedro Shepherd (President of the Barbados Union of Teachers), I would like to say to Mr. Vere Parris, Principal of Combermere School and the head of BAPPS, the Barbados Association of Principals of Public Secondary Schools, I would like to say to all the teachers who teach in the schools of Barbados, I would like to say to Mr. Shone (Gibbs), the head of the (Barbados National Council of Parent-Teacher Associations), I would like to say to all of them, come together and as a collective, let us see how we can make that compulsory period of school attendance, let us see how we can make those twelve years as impactful and as constructive as possible, in shaping our Barbadian young people,” Comissiong said in issuing his call.

He also stressed that there needs to be a better link between the schools and the home for better outcomes and he noted that Parent Teacher Associations as well as Old Scholar Associations should work harder with school authorities to ensure that each child matters and has a fair chance, to better address the “crisis” Barbados is finding itself in, in relation to gun violence and crime. (RSM)

Member of Parliament for St James North Edmund Hinkson, believes the current crime situation affects everyone on the island.

“I think that it is incumbent upon us not to stay within our communities and say that isn’t affecting me; that it’s affecting those down in Gall Hill or Black Rock…it affects all of us,” he stressed.

Hinkson was at the time addressing the graduation ceremony of the Clarkson Foundation Inc. VIBES Life-Skills programme for unemployed and underemployed youth conducted by the National Initiative of Service Excellence (NISE).

Recognising that Barbados is too small a society, he told the gathering at his 4th Avenue, Lower Carlton constituency office, “we therefore have a duty to try to stamp out the immediate threats and build societal systems; educational systems that will give young people the opportunity.”

“Because I for one don’t believe anyone is born a criminal. You might be born into adverse circumstances in life; economic, social and otherwise, but that does not mean that given the opportunity, you cannot achieve as anyone born into a wealthier background can achieve.”

Minister at Open Doors Island Worship Group, Mario Bruce, commended the all-male graduating class.

He urged them to share what they learned, CV writing to effective communication skills, with the young men within their communities.

“This Programme has given you the power to be leaders. You can now be influential to your communities; share what you learned, share the experiences from VIBES, these can help change our society – assist other young men to make more positive decisions in life”.

“Our nation needs it, we need leaders. The mere fact that you have endured this programme and have graduated is great…For some young men the last graduation was the transition from primary to secondary school,” he pointed out.
Bruce, admitting that he made some bad decisions in the past, expressed that his past does not determine his future.

“And your past, does not determine your future,” he told the graduates.

“People will say bad things, people will try to discourage you but it is what lives in you, the strength in you, that will keep you above the ridicule and persecution and it will keep you going.”

“I only recently received my first CXC, in English, and I intend to achieve more. And I urged you not to stop here with VIBES, let it be a continual lifestyle. There are young men depending on you, you can now be teachers and leaders in your communities that can change the face of this nation,” he further stressed. (TL)

A call has been made for more psychologists in local schools, to ensure that the volume of students falling through the cracks can be reduced, as well as the crime wave in Barbados.

The call came recently from Robert “Bobby” Clarke of the Clement Payne Movement and a supporter of the September 3rd Foundation.

Clarke suggested that there cannot simply be one psychologist for the entire school system and he charged that this is an issue that is not being adequately addressed, by the relevant authorities.

“A child learns most of what it has to know by age six, not be age sixteen…we in Barbados have one psychologist or one psychiatrist for a whole school system of Barbados. In a country like Cuba, each school, from primary school right up, has a psychologist or a psychiatrist attached to the school,” he commented.

“When the child at four, five, six starts to have a problem, you deal with the problem at four, five, six, not at sixteen when you can’t solve the problem. And that is our major problem,” he charged, noting that when the children have problems there is nobody for them to talk to, or to look into their issues.

“So that Barbados needs immediately, a psychologist attached to each school. You also need to have that understanding of the family being connected to schools, to see if the children are making a mistake (and to correct it),” he maintained.
“You cannot correct a child at sixteen. We talk about you can’t deal with the gangs now because the gangs are permanent until they kill themselves out. So we have to go back to civics in society, we have to teach principles,” he stressed.

He meanwhile stressed that an immediate priority for government, should be ensuring that more psychologists are attached to the schools, so greater interventions can be made
.
“As from tomorrow, each school must therefore have a trained psychologist, especially in children’s behaviour, so they can stop this problem,” he commented. (RSM)

The family of the late Bruce Anthony “Tony” Thomas donated an incredibly generous cheque of BDS$20 000 to the Barbados Cancer Society yesterday morning.

During the small ceremony that took place at the Barbados Cancer Society’s headquarters, daughter of the deceased, Sharon Thomas, expressed to the media that the money was donated to help the Barbados Cancer Society and its work against prostate cancer through education and awareness for early detection, as well as give assistance to those who need support during their illness.

“My dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer and we were doing a medical fundraiser earlier this year. I felt in my heart to donate to the Barbados Cancer Society because it was something that my dad would have done, if he were alive, since he was always donating to charities,” she said.

Thomas expressed that she plans to continue working with the Barbados Cancer Society. “We’re actually hoping to open a Tony Thomas Cancer Fund, as it’s something that I would like to continue doing, such as little fundraisers to bring awareness to cancer for men,” she said.

President of the Barbados Cancer Society, Dr. Dorothy Cooke-Johnson sincerely thanked the Thomas’ for their donation and noted that it was an enormous help to the Barbados Cancer Society.

“Tony was a leader; he was into everything and he was enormously efficient, so it is his legacy that is going to drive this and the memory of Tony is going to get things done. He was so well-known, so genial; so very pleasantly admired that you only have to say his name – that people will understand, that if he stood for this – it’s worthwhile standing for,” she said.

Cooke-Johnson went on to note that since they began having Saturday clinics as well as two free clinics on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the Society was generally getting more men taking the tests instead of shying away from discussing topics such as frequent prostate checks. She added that she believed it was important that the sharing of experiences and the clinics low prices bring out more men to have these tests.

“I’m advising them [men] to start at 40 and every single year after that to get tested. It’s far better to get a test that’s negative than to get one too late – that’s positive, so we want to get that message out, and Tony’s presence, even though he’s gone, his memory will help tremendously,” she said.

Barbados’ Minister of Housing, Denis Kellman, in an address recently to the United Nations General Assembly stressed the need to pay careful attention to the impacts of climate change when planning for the implementation of the New Urban Agenda.

Speaking at a high level meeting on The Effective Implementation of the New Urban Agenda, Mr. Kellman commiserated with the people of Texas who recently experienced a one in 1 000-year climatic event in the form of Hurricane Harvey.

He told the audience: “The frequency of occurrence of this and other types of natural disasters is a sobering reminder to each of us gathered here, in particularly those of us who are from Small Island Developing States, that we need to factor in, and pay careful attention to the impacts of climate change in our planning.”

He shared that Barbados, as a signatory to the New Urban Agenda, had put measures in place to ensure its effective implementation, including amendments to the Physical Development Plan to ensure that development on the island continued to be “progressive, orderly and sustainable”.

The Housing Minister further maintained: “My Government is committed to the promotion of inclusive settlements that are accessible, safe, healthy, affordable, resilient, sustainable and foster prosperity and improved quality of life for all Barbadians.”

In this regard, he revealed, Government encouraged developers to locate housing for seniors close to amenities and services to meet daily needs, promoted the development of new housing which was fully accessible to people with disabilities, and continued to require that new developments and significant renovations in public spaces be accessible to all.

Mr. Kellman also highlighted Barbados’ emphasis on a green economy. “Barbados has put in place an enabling framework to facilitate our transition to a green economy which we firmly believe will reduce significantly our vulnerability to economic and natural shocks, and place our island on a more sustainable development path.”

Renewable energy generation and energy conservation, he said, were both essential to the country’s commitment to the development of a green economy, and inherent in this was the potential for job creation, productivity increases and positive health benefits.

He also stressed the importance of environmentally sound waste management techniques and stated Government’s commitment to encouraging a more sustainable
approach to increased recycling, consideration of waste-to-energy conversion and increased diversion from landfills.

The incidence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes and hypertension remain a concern in this country, and Minister of Health, John Boyce says he wants to see Barbadians doing more to change their diets and engage in physical activity.

Moreover, Minister Boyce said it is imperative that Barbadians eat a significant share of fruits and vegetables. He alluded that this would go a long way in helping persons to live longer and healthier lives. Speaking during a recent press conference at the Democratic Labour Party’s headquarters, Boyce also noted that there is concern about the quantities of food locals are consuming as single meals, and he suggested that is also an area that persons should look to address.

He made the comments as he noted that as 80 per cent of persons have some form of NCD and some 30 per cent of those are critical. That, he said, is made worse by the fact that 30 per cent of persons are obese, a leading risk factor for developing NCDs. Boyce also raised concern about the financial strain of treating these diseases and their complications. He made the point while referring to kidney dialysis treatment, which he said is costing in the region of $60 000 to $70 000 per year for each patient. At present, he said the patient cohort is around 300.

“We have to get that message across to the public as to what we can do in our lifestyles, in ourselves to bring this programme in line,” he said.

With that in mind, he made it clear that his Ministry is not throwing their hands in the air and giving up, but is committed to encouraging Barbadians to seek early interventions and to change their lifestyles. In that vein, he referred to the tax on sweetened beverages, which he said may have caused some concern for beverage manufacturers given the impact it could have on their profits, but he said it appears to be bearing fruit. The 10 per cent tax, he explained, is not only intended to raise revenue, but to educate persons and bring about a positive change in behaviour.

“…We need to go back to that taxation to try to assist Barbadians in making that decision, hopefully by indicating that if you choose a beverage which is not as sweet, which is not as high in its sugars… if you choose a food that is less of a risk factor, you are likely to benefit,” he said.

To date, he said the “10 per cent is rolling out at about 6 per cent”, showing that there is a level of absorption by the companies, and a level of pass on to the consumers.
(JRT)

THE Ministry of Health is working closely with other Government agencies, including the Ministry of Commerce and Trade, to explore standards that would make it possible for stronger food labelling policies to be introduced in Barbados.

Speaking to the media during a press conference last week, Minister of Health, John Boyce, suggested that while Government recognises that healthy eating habits and lifestyle choices is a must to reduce the risk factors of non-communicable diseases, Barbadians should be given the opportunity to choose what they want to consume.

As a result, he said the environment which makes the right choice the most appropriate and easy choice must be created.

Food labelling laws make sure consumers get vital information about the foods they consume.

Food labels can help an individual limit the amount of fat, sugar and cholesterol in their diet, by making it easy for them to compare one food item with another and choose the one with lower amounts.

“The thing about labelling goods and foods is that they are, to a large extent, controlled by world trade agreements. In some countries in Latin America, they have moved to coloured labelling to sort to highlight certain features of a product. They have taken a stop light kind of approach, in terms of your choices,” he said.

The Minister indicated that currently, most of the labelling of products marketed and sold in Barbados is done in fine print making it difficult for the naked eye to read.

“So we need to move to that stage which is a progressive stage. But our biggest emphasis is always on the education of our people so that they can start to help us to open that door to pry a little more into what we are consuming in Barbados, such as, what is unhealthy, what is healthy and what choices we make,” he explained.
(AH)

As students get set to return to the classroom next week, an appeal is going out to them not to deface or damage their school property.

Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Ronald Jones made the call at a recent press conference, where he noted that while the problem is not widespread and they have not put an exact cost on the damage done to the various school plants, his Ministry and by extension taxpayers are having to shell out thousands of dollars for repairs to, or replacement of items. His comments came as he referred to the Ministry’s summer maintenance programme, which he said cost some $1.8 million this year.

“Taxpayers’ money is at a premium, students who deface, who damage, you know that is going to call for money…I think the Ministry of Education has the largest number of plants to deal with in the country, outside of general government buildings, and they are used heavily so we have to keep them functioning, but that calls for money,” he said.
Jones noted that while the Education Act contains penalties for students who are caught damaging or found out to have damaged property, the challenge in punishing such persons comes in actually finding the culprits. He made the point as he explained that students are not inclined to “rat on each other”.

“We have to continue to use persuasion, have to continue to talk to parents wherever you can find them so they can impress on their children if you jump kick, literally jump kick those louvre windows you find in many of the schools, then they will become broken and damaged and to replace many of those would run in thousands of dollars, that has nothing to do with the cost of the labour. And in some of our schools, particularly secondary schools, we have seen that behaviour manifested,” he said.

In addition to windows being bent or broken, he said doors have been damaged or removed and even sinks and toilets have been broken and he said it clear that the damage was inflicted by a person.

“I can tell you that generally when you look and see the amount of money that would be spent in a year and you look at a window, it isn’t heat, storm, hail or boulders being blown that would take the window and bend every louvre, it has to be a human being,” Jones stated.

The Education Minister added, “Some children seem to have moments or spurts of energy where they damage or deface part of the plant… and I am not condemning, I know how some young people can behave, but we have to impress upon them that in a situation where their parents, once we find the children, their parents have to pay, that they might then find that there is something they may need within the domestic environment that they would have to go without. But it is a constant message that one has to bring to the wider society, to the wider family units, that everything costs money, everything in education costs money, everything in our homes cost money; there are no gifts, no free lunches.”

Admittedly, Minister Jones said all the damage is not by the hands of students, as they are aware that persons from the surrounding communities who utilise the facilities at various schools are also guilty and “don’t exercise the due care and attention” that they should. He made the point as he noted that the fences erected around schools are prone to be cut by persons seeking a direct path onto the property. (JRT)

FIVE schools will not open their doors for the scheduled start of the Michaelmas term.

This was revealed by Minister of Education Ronald Jones, who briefed the media at his Ministry’s headquarters yesterday afternoon.

According to the Minister, the bulk of the schools will be reopened on September 11th, however, two nursery schools, St. Giles and All Saints will open on the 18th.

St. John Primary and St. George Secondary will also be opened on the 18th. However, Wesley Hall Infants will be opened on the 14th with the new students coming on the 13th.

The Minister explained that the delays were caused by extensive infrastructural work on the school plant. “Eight weeks is a short time to do the kind of work but contractors tried to work quite speedily.”

The Education Minister does not foresee any loss of work in the schools since according to him, the first week is generally preparatory.

As it relates to work being carried out near St. Lawrence Primary and the potential impact, he noted the block that has been affected has not been used in a while.

“We have brought it back by providing major work on it to bring it back to use...It would not affect the school in anyway. The block to the west would not affect the functioning of the school in anyway. That is additional space that we have brought back into use in case the school needs it so that wouldn’t affect the start of
school.”

He assured announcements would be made if additional changes are necessary. (JH)

THE 9 000 tablets disseminated to schools across the island will allow students to have the world at their fingertips, but they won’t have free rein over the devices.

Yesterday, Minister of Education Ronald Jones announced a joint initiative with Digicel (Barbados) Ltd. and IBM, which will ensure that Barbadian students keep pace with evolving technology on the devices that are controlled.

CEO of Digicel, Alex Tasker, explained that through a partnership with Digicel and IBM, the tablets in the programme will be managed by a Best in Class Mobile device management solution called “IBM MAS 360”. It will enable the Ministry to push approved educational content directly to the devices; restrict access to unauthorised apps, websites and features of the tablets; and track the location of the device in case of loss or theft.

“Cameras on the device will be disabled as we strive to help the country to fight cyberbullying and provide general online safety and security for our students,” Tasker explained.

The Minister said that he is hopeful that with this new technology, it will silence some of the “noises” heard when efforts are made to deploy technology in the schools, whether it is smartphones or other pieces of equipment.

“Even though technology has moved at such a rapid pace, we are still very much in our infancy at understanding its total use in Barbados. I guess from that we get this hesitancy, this fear,” he said, noting that the ban on cell phones has now been lifted and that the technology would be adaptable to cell phone use.

“Any society where there are new gadgets being rolled out, people tend to play too much to the negative. I believe that may be the concern of the Unions and some parents. But there is still a very strong move among students and parents to have smart phones in schools and they give you all the reasons why.”

The Minister said from the Ministry’s vantage point, this technology is solely for learning. “The MAS 360 gives us a platform where we can say to everybody out there, we will know where that mobile technology is, we will know what you are seeking to do with it... you will use it for what we want you to use it for.”

He said Cabinet has already signed off on this expandable mechanism, adding that more technology will be rolled out in schools gradually.

Tasker reiterated the importance of technology and the need to ensure no one is left behind.

According to him, “Distributing and managing 9 000 tablets to our students and teachers in Barbados is not necessarily an easy task so we are happy that the Government of Barbados saw it fit to bring us in along with the team at IBM to ensure this is done in the safest and most efficient manner,” he said. (JH)

Determining how to best finance health care in this country remains a priority for Government and to further delve into the topic, there are plans to produce a White Paper.

That’s according to Minister of Health, John Boyce, who told reporters at a recent news conference, that a Cabinet paper has already been discussed and approved in principle, and the idea is now to produce a White Paper for further dissemination within the public. His comments came as he said that the Ministry of Health has deliberately put the issue of financing on the table, and held four townhall meetings on it, recognising that in preparing for the future, they must devise a way to ensure the maintenance of the quality of health-care service that Barbadians currently enjoy.

He added that while public health care at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) and the polyclinics remain free at the point of delivery, the reality is that health-care costs are increasing and health-care equipment is extremely expensive and specialised. Given that, he maintained, no shortcuts can be taken.

“We have not only to be prepared in terms of human resource development by way of our doctors and nurses, who now have to be largely specialists. No longer can GPs do this work and no longer can a registered nurse sit on her laurels or his laurels and not realise that unless you go to the point of specialisation in a particular area, we will find ourselves as a nation behind the eight ball in terms of our service,” he said.

The health minister added, “No one has indicated, nor are we indicating now, that anybody pays for public care in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital or our polyclinics, what we are talking about is that specialised care which we know we have to maintain; where would we look to prop up the monies available to help to keep us at the apex of the delivery of health care.”

He made the point while noting that some of the taxes recently imposed were directly put there to assist in the delivery health care, and he further noted that the more efficient we get at delivering our services, the less we will have to lean on any new financing model that is proposed.

The health minister’s comments came as he touched on the role that the polyclinics play in the health care sector. According Boyce, the polyclinics are extremely important, recording 17 000 visits in total per month. He spoke to this as he revealed that the St John Polyclinic, with 1 100 visits per month, is now doing its full quota in terms of the number of clients being seen, but there remains room for expansion. He said the St. John figures are is in keeping with the visits recorded at the Glebe Polyclinic in St. George; while the St. Philip Polyclinic has 1 200 visits monthly and the Branford Taitt Polyclinic records 2 000 visits each month. (JRT)

Executive Director of the Barbados Renewable Energy Association (BREA), Meshia Clarke, challenged the scholarship winners of the Barbados Workers Union Co-operative Credit Union Limited (BWUCCUL) to be different.

Clarke’s challenge came as she addressed the students during an awards ceremony, which was held at the BWUCCUL yesterday evening. She noted that in order to be different, students must be willing to be innovative.

“To be innovative is to alter the status quo and question that there are new ways of doing things. Recognising that because we have always done things in a particular way, that this does not mean that we must continue to do so or even accept that this is the only way of achieving that singular goal,” she said.
She expressed that there are some impressive local innovators of change that the students could use as role models, such as James Husbands, the managing director of Solar Dynamics, the first water heating company in Barbados or Mark Hill, former CEO and now Chief Innovation Officer of Innogen Technologies Inc, one of Barbados’ first Solar PV Firms.

Expressing that she was almost certain that these innovators were faced with some level of resistance when they were introducing change, she pointed out that these individuals did not allow these nay-sayers to hinder their progress and ideas for change.

Using herself as an example, Clarke revealed that she was also forced to challenge the status quo in order to stand out and succeed in life.

“As you see, a graduate of a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History was never expected to pursue a career in International Development, yet alone, become the head of a leading National Non-Governmental Organisation; an organisation which at its core is much more aligned to scientific, engineering and business development background,” she said.

“The status quo predicted that a student of the Arts could only ever pursue a career in teaching. I want to throw a challenge out to all the young people: Don’t be afraid to alter society’s status quo- a status quo which seeks to predict who or what you should be.”

State sponsored murder!

This is how Roman Catholic Bishop for Bridgetown, Barbados, The Most Reverend Dr. Charles Jason Gordon described proposals by some Barbadians to bring back hanging as a form of corporal punishment.

The Bishop was at the time addressing the media at the Living Water Community Centre in St. David’s, Christ Church, as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgetown hosted the tenth Annual General Meeting of SIGNIS Caribbean, yesterday.

He recalled that last year, the Bishops of the Caribbean stated in a pastoral letter that capital punishment is not the way to go for solving the crime problem which the Caribbean is experiencing.

“All people have human dignity, just by virtue of being a human person. And that dignity does not go away when we do something really bad. So, even the worst sinner within humanity still has that spark of the divine in them.

“Hanging, is just state sponsored murder. So, whether the murder is happening by an individual, by passion or by design, or is happening by the state, it’s still murder. So, state sponsored murder isn’t a solution for violence in a society, its escalating the violence,” he stressed.

“I think that in Trinidad it was clear when one Attorney General had nine hangings one after the other, and the result of that was that the murder rate went up immediately. It didn’t go down, it went up.”

Bishop Gordon said that there is evidence of people who have been put to the gas chamber, the electric chair or hanged around the world, then to be proven innocent as new evidence emerged.

According to him, “if one innocent person can be killed because of lack of evidence or because of a bad judicial system, we should not use that as a means because it is really not a deterrent.”

“And the other fact is true – rich people don’t get hanged because they have very good lawyers. Poor people get hanged because they have very bad lawyers, or lawyers who are stretched; doing too many cases, who can’t give them the attention, who can’t really drill into the defence for them. So, the fact is that there is an injustice in that form of criminal punishment because there is a socio-economic factor that goes into who gets hanged and who does not get hanged,” the Bishop stated. (TL)

Yesterday evening at their Solidarity House headquarters, the Barbados Workers Union Co-operative Credit Union Limited (BWUCCUL) chose to honour their scholarship award winners with a small ceremony.

General Manager of the BWUCCUL, Corrine Clarke, expressed that the Union was delighted to be able to play a part in rewarding the hard work of the young people of the nation as well as assist their parents or guardians financially as they looked to advance the learning career of their charges.

“We at the Credit Union are constantly seeking ways to show our members that they are better with us; and one of those ways is to continue to support youth development across the island,” she said.

Noting that the union sponsored many camps and sporting activities across the island, Clarke revealed that they also participated in youth empowerment camps as well as presented scholarships to students at various levels in student’s educational career.

“We are open to various opportunities where we can sow a seed and see the return in the young people. We want to increase our efforts in this area to ensure that our youth remain positive and hopeful as they show their fullest, God-given potential,” she said.

The general manager formally congratulated the young students on their excellent performances this year.

“I know that you would have worked hard and spent long hours putting in the hard work and I want to encourage you to keep on pushing and keep aiming to be all that you can be and don’t stop until it’s over,” she said.

Turning her attention to the parents of the awardees, Clarke encouraged them to start putting aside money as an investment in their children’s future.

“It is very important to put aside so that when your children figure out what they want to do in life you can do your part and support them,” she said.

Finally, she encouraged the students to follow their bliss and the universe will open doors for them. Additionally she believed it was important for them to remember that the “key to happiness is to do what you love and love what you do.”

The Barbados Drug Service in collaboration with the Abbott Nutrition will soon be hosting a public lecture for the benefit of Barbadians, entitled, “No More Sugar Coating: Dispelling The Myths About Diabetes.”

The free interactive public lecture will be held on September 19th at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Two Mile Hill, St. Michael from 7:00 p.m. to 8:3 p.m.

The lecture will address various myths and misconceptions about diabetes and highlight the multidisciplinary treatment needed to mitigate the condition. Featured speakers include local Diabetes Specialist Dr. Carlisle Goddard who will kick off the evening’s presentations followed by Clinical Pharmacist Trudy Griffith, who is also President of the Diabetes Association of Barbados.

Registered Dietitian Meshell Carrington will highlight the nutritional aspects often misunderstood and Trinidadian Kidney Specialist Dr. Emile Mohammed will discuss the many renal issues that present as a complication of uncontrolled diabetes. The linkages between diabetes, nutrition, medication and the kidney will be highlighted, showing how each and one is interlinked.

The organisers have meanwhile pointed out that understanding diabetes is key to managing it.

Understanding the role of medication and the importance of compliance in controlling blood sugar is also integral to successful diabetes management and reducing risk of complications.

“In a country like Barbados where obesity, inactivity and poor dietary choices are prevalent, the role of nutrition is paramount to controlling and preventing diabetes. Nutrition is often misunderstood as it is often thought, for example, that avoiding foods with “sugar” or “sweet foods” means avoiding diabetes or avoiding a spike in blood glucose. But what is sugar? Do only “sweet foods” contain sugar? With all this misunderstood, with myths abound, complications are likely to arise…These issues and more will be discussed at this free public education session,” the organisers have noted.

Pre-lecture activities include health checks by the Diabetes Association of Barbados and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados with diabetes education by the Diabetes Centre of the Barbados Diabetes Foundation. Abbott Nutrition will be doing product sampling and giveaways, with a special feature of its “Glucerna” drink, used in the management of diabetes. The pre-lecture activities start at 5:30 p.m. Free transportation will be provided by the Barbados Transport Board to the Princess Alice and Fairchild Street Bus Terminals. (RSM)

Barbadians and visitors now have a new mode of transportation available to them to see and explore historic Bridgetown and its Garrison.

This as the Small Business Association (SBA) yesterday launched its Solar Transportation Project – Solar Express. This comes prior to the official start of the First Citizens SBA Week 2017, which begins on September 24.

SBA Chief Executive Officer, Lynette Holder, explained that the Project is funded in part by the GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) of United National Development Programme (UNDP). The vehicles being used are “two 10-seater solar electric vehicles” which will “work as solar inner city shuttles that offer historic tours of Bridgetown, and these tours will be offered to commuters, visitors, locals alike”.

She further outlined that the aim of the project is not only to assist with the reduction of traffic congestion in The City, but “to educate at least 100 businesses in Bridgetown on the UN Global Compact Programme and to encourage them to engage in innovations that would make their businesses sustainable.”

She additionally said the initiative seeks to increase the awareness of sustainable transportation and increase the awareness of the history of Bridgetown. She added the medium- to long-term goal of the project is to encourage Barbadians to “consider this type of transport for their commuting in Bridgetown”.

“We are going to outreach to some 500 institutions including our schools, a number of NGOs, hotels, groups, asso-ciations based in Bridgetown and its
environs,” she added.

Also addressing the launch, GEF/SGP Subregional Associate Programme Officer with the UNDP, Tamaisha Eytle, reminded the audience in National Heroes Square that “climate change mitigation is the responsibility of all of us and the Solar Express demonstrates a necessary innovation to make a small step to reducing our carbon footprint”.
She said at present there are “about 57 projects under the GEF Small Grants Programme here in Barbados and we also have projects under the OECS in seven different countries”. She further noted that Barbados is the first to have this type of solar transportation.

“We have seen examples of this lovely initiative in the Pacific, Latin America and Asia, but this is the first Transport Project for the GEF Small Grants Programme in Barbados and it is the leading project of its kind in the Caribbean.”

Eytle also stated that “the Solar Express exemplifies the continued transformation of Barbados towards a green economy. It recognises a shift not only
to environmental sustainability, but improvement of livelihoods through enhanced business opportunities but urban accessibility. This is only the beginning of Barbados’ goal and commitment to become the most environmentally advanced green country in Latin America and the Caribbean”.