Extreme makeover - by Barbados Today September 12, 2015

Patients and staff of the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) now have a renovated facility, equipped with modern technology, in which to operate.

During the past few months, the SICU underwent extensive renovations as a result of an initiative of the John Thompson Memorial Trust Fund, created by Thompson’s family from Northern Ireland following his death here from a mid-Atlantic yachting accident.

The Trust has purchased in excess of BDS $250, 000 of bedside monitoring and related clinical equipment and has been supported financially by several other donors.

Trustee and a member of the international business community Ronald Jones, speaking at a brief reopening ceremony of the unit, said work included the removal of all old cabinetry, fixtures and fittings and a complete renovation and redecoration of the facility, as well as the installation of new plumbing fixtures.

The makeover also included the addition of new electrical outlets at the bedsides, the tinting of all exterior windows, the cleaning and sanitizing of the AC system, the replacement of ceiling tiles and conversion of a meeting room into a video conference and training facility to accommodate up to 20 staff.

Jones also noted that the project has been an excellent example of how private enterprise and charitable organizations can work with the QEH to achieve significant changes for the benefit of staff and patients with a comparatively low budget. He said he hoped those who came to the unit would have a satisfactory experience, stressing the need for patients to feel comfortable as they heal.

The trustee who pledged the Fund’s continued support to the hospital, called on other charities and organizations to make similar efforts.

“When I look around and see what this ward is like now compared to what it was a few months ago, I am very pleased. I think the trust money was very well spent and I think we got a lot for our dollar,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dr John Gill, a consultant neurosurgeon and a trustee of the Fund expressed gratitude for the upgrade, which he said enhanced the environment.

“We are happy to hear that Mr Jones will be having an ongoing philanthropic relationship and we wish to encourage anyone else who is so inclined to do so,”  said Dr Gill.