The island’s doctors have set up a task force to strengthen the Government’s fight against COVID-19,which has so far claimed four lives in Barbados.
Co-Chair of the 17-member force Dr Lynda Williams told Barbados TODAY this afternoon that one of the purposes of the body is to foster communication between local practitioners of all specialties in the public and private sector.
Dr Williams said the task force, which was set up by the Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners (BAMP) recently, is also aimed at connecting with members of the public.
“To also communicate our concerns as doctors to the Ministry of Health and Wellness; communicate with other ancillary health workers such as nurses, emergency medical technicians and also to communicate with the Barbadian public the importance of following the public health directives in order to flatten the curve of this pandemic in Barbados,” she stated.
Asked to disclose the concerns of the doctors to which she referred, Dr Williams told Barbados TODAY they had made them know to the Ministry but was not ready to go public at this time.
In a news release issued by BAMP yesterday, the association appealed to all doctors in the public and private sectors to join forces in helping to halt the spread of this pandemic.
It is the first time news of the task force is being made public having been formed on March 12 and followed on March 20 by a virtual meeting that was attended by more than 200 doctors.
BAMP said that meeting discussed a collective response of the medical fraternity to COVID-19.
“Attendees agreed to strengthen partnerships among medical practitioners within the organization as well as doctors who are not members of BAMP,” said the statement.
“Currently engaged in developing additional protocols the task force is also establishing a database of doctors’ skill sets to support the Ministry of Health and Wellness response to the outbreak,” it added.
BAMP President Dr Abdon Dasilva said that a strong public-private health sector is critical to the health and wellbeing of the country whose economy is highly dependent on tourism, particularly during a time such as this.
He said the task force is committed to the continuous engagement of doctors at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), Ministry, polyclinics, private sector clinics and other health stakeholders for the benefit of Barbadian communities.
Dr Dasilva, however, noted that for their efforts to be more effective, the support of the general public is necessary.
The BAMP leader is therefore urging residents to adhere to the guidelines issued by the WHO and the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).
“We have assembled the top medical people best equipped to contain this virus and for us to succeed, we need you to wash your hands often and to observe social distancing. In other words, we need you to stay home so we can go to work to protect you and your loved ones,” Dr Dasilva stressed.
BAMP said that in the absence of a vaccine for the COVID-19, it is recommending that all individuals limit touching their faces, wear cloth masks when outside the home, practice social distancing of 6 feet and fully adhere to self-isolation and quarantine restrictions.
The other co-chair of the BAMP Task Force is Dr Tanya Sargeant. The unit also comprises medical doctors drawn from a variety of disciplines including family medicine, general practice, public health, emergency medicine, pathology, cardiology, internal medicine, intensive care, anesthesia, surgery and obstetrics and gynecology. (EJ)
