Minister of Health, the Hon. John Boyce, receiving a demonstration on the use of the Vascular Doppler Scanners, which have been donated by the Maria Holder Memorial Trust and the Maria Holder Diabetes Centre, to all polyclinics across Barbados. Performing the demonstration is Senior Podiatrist at the Centre, Amor Forde, while Cally Boyea, CEO of the Maria Holder Diabetes Centre and Jane Armstrong, Chief Project Manager at the Maria Holder Memorial Trust look on.
A donation of 11 Vascular Doppler Scanners from the Maria Holder Memorial Trust and the Maria Holder Diabetes Centre will allow for better foot screening
in all polyclinics across Barbados.
Yesterday, Minister of Health, the Hon. John Boyce, was presented with the machines aimed at reducing the loss of limbs and lives of persons living with diabetes through earlier referrals and management.
During the hand-over ceremony held at the Maurice Byer Polyclinic in St. Peter, Boyce thanked the donors for their continued generosity and willingness to collaborate with his Ministry to enhance the quality of care to persons living with diabetes and other chronic diseases. He said this donation will go a long way in diagnostics for the diabetic and peripheral vascular disease foot.
“Given the high prevalence of diabetes in our population, the diabetic foot is one of the major life-threatening complications of the disease and is now one of the major public health burdens of our time,” he observed.
“The Ministry of Health, through its Diabetes Foot Care Committee, will continue to improve diabetic foot care through client education, improved surveillance and training of health-care professionals. In addition, we will continue to scale-up our diabetes prevention clinics and Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) clinics within primary care settings.”
The Health Minister recalled that for the period 2010 to 2012 there were over 40 000 visits for hypertension and 24 000 visits for diabetes at polyclinics. According to him, this hasn’t changed much, noting that 80 per cent of the non-maternal and non-child health visits were for persons with a chronic disease. The most common reasons why adults interact with the polyclinic systems are for hypertension, diabetes and lipid disorders.
“We have to think about these number because if 80 per cent of our population is afflicted by Non-communicable disease, it then starts to affect our society – our workplaces in terms of absenteeism, and no doubt there is a firm relationship between this data and what we see in our workplaces both public and private sector,” he indicated.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Maria Holder Diabetes Centre, Cally Boyea, assured that any effort, which supports early, ongoing and effective screening of the diabetic foot with the polyclinics, will be supported by the Centre.
He said the Centre, which is in Warrens, St. Michael, will continue to partner with health-care providers in Barbados to support and promote improved on-going practices.
Chief Project Manager at the Maria Holder Memorial Trust, Jane Armstrong, said the Trust is pleased to be able to provide the Vascular Doppler Scanners, pointing out, “The gift of the Doppler Scanners is designed to provide another tool for doctors to use in support of diabetic prevention and care.”
The Trust, which was established in 2009, in honour of the late Maria Holder, has focused on health and education.
“In Health, we are supporting projects in substance abuse, cancer awareness and support as well as diabetes. We are also looking to find a way to provide support to the elderly in Barbados – because this a growing group of vulnerable people.” (TL)