Members of the Chinese health-care professional team, who have been assigned to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), during a press briefing yesterday.
Eight health-care professionals from the People’s Republic of China have been assigned to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH).
Yesterday, Minister of Health John Boyce and senior administration of the island’s lone public hospital welcomed the doctors and nurses who will be assigned on a rotation basis for a period of six months over two years.
Chief Executive Officer of the QEH, Dr. Dexter James, said their presence is a result of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the Government of Barbados and the People’s Republic of China.
“This MOU was signed about two months ago, and it entails the prevention of technical services in areas that we currently underserve or in services where we could develop capacity,” he explained, also revealing that the Chinese medical team’s areas of expertise include nephrology, minimally invasive surgery, interventional radiology, anaesthesiology, orthopaedics, and critical care.
“These are the main areas for the next six months. We have the opportunity after three months to review the competencies and make the required changes if any at all.”
Minister Boyce acknowledged that the co-operation between the Government of Barbados and the People’s Republic of China goes back a long way.
“We certainly intend at the Ministry of Health to continue to build on that very strong relationship,” he expressed.
“The onus is on us at the Ministry of Health, at the QEH to take maximum advantage of what these medical practitioners will be offering to Barbados.
“They will be working alongside our team of specialists in the hospital, working with them and not to take over any activities – but certainly to share knowledge and maybe able to impart improvements on both sides. It will also help us to build some capacity in areas where we may have been lacking at this time… I think in the area of nephrology where we consistently have to be renewing our capacity in our treatment of dialysis patients,” the Health Minister indicated.
Chinese Ambassador to Barbados, Her Excellency Wang Ke, assured Boyce that the Chinese medical team is ready to work and co-operate with their counterparts at QEH.
She said the MOU has opened a new area of collaboration between the two countries.
“I met with the Chinese medical team and encouraged them to work in a spirit of collaboration, mutual respect and work assiduously with their counterparts here to benefit the patients. I advised them to fully fulfil the obligational duties stipulated in the MOU and of course to work as hard as they can to the enhancement of bilateral relations. I do believe that with their expertise and dedication, they should work to fulfil their mission.” (TL)
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