Capital works programme coming for QEH

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) is soon to embark on a new capital works project that would see around $110 million being injected into the facility over the next five years to purchase new equipment.

Director of Engineering Services at the QEH, Paula Agbowu made the disclosure on Tuesday as members of the Barbados Canada Foundation donated five electrocardiogram (ECG) machines, five ECG carts and other equipment, valued at approximately US$140,677, to the health facility.

“We are trying to do a recapitalisation programme and . . . based on the equipment needs that we currently have and the new equipment that we would like to purchase, we are looking in the region of $110 million over the next five years,” Agbowu said as she thanked the Barbados Canada Foundation for its donation.

“What we need to do is have consistent and constant injection of monies into our capital works programme so that we can continue to keep this entity functioning and as modern and equipped as we possibly can.”

During the handing over ceremony, Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Wellness Dr Sonia Browne thanked the foundation for the kind gesture, saying the new equipment would go a long way in dealing with patients with heart ailments.

She said that according to the latest statistics, 25 per cent of cardiovascular events in Barbados end in death.

“The hope is to get to a worldwide level of five per cent,” Dr Browne said.

The Minister said one of the contributing factors to the high mortality rate was patients delaying going to the QEH when they experience symptoms of heart attack.

“The problem with the mortality rate here and other parts of the Caribbean is the fear of patients. There is still an existing fear of patients to come to the hospital because they fear a worst-case scenario that they won’t exit the hospital,” she said.

Noting that the response of the Ambulance Service had been greatly shortened, Dr Browne added: “Most people call their friend or their relative to get them to the hospital, and these are minutes that are wasted. . . . You can call the ambulance . . . and the Ambulance Service are trained and equipped to recognise what is a heart attack and they can do direct communication with the Accident & Emergency Department, so the treatment process is much faster which will result in [fewer] cardiac deaths.” (SB)