Neonatal intensive care unit celebrates 30 years

by Shamar Blunt

It was a joyous occasion on Thursday at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), as its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) celebrated 30 years of sterling service to the Barbadian community.

During the brief anniversary ceremony held at the hospital, staff members from the unit, as well as parents of children who have used the NICU services over the years, joined together for the celebrations and gave thanks for the unit’s many notable achievements over the three decades. On average, 450 – 600 babies yearly are admitted to the NICU, with babies also coming from around the region from islands such as Anguilla and Montserrat, for care.

Paediatrician and Neonatologist from the department, Dr Gillian Birchwood, explained how the NICU’s founding in 1990 clearly impacted the infant mortality rate with the introduction of specialized care to premature babies.

“Just for you to understand the impact; in 1972 in Barbados, the neonatal mortality rate was 27 babies for every thousand live births. Although the rate began to improve because of overall advances in universal health care in Barbados even before the NICU opened, it was still 13.8 per thousand live births in 1989, the year before the NICU here opened.

“The year after it opened, there was an immediate 35 per cent drop in baby deaths, and although we have had our ups and downs, the rate last year was 5.6 per thousand live births, nearly 2.5 times less than it was when this unit first opened,” Dr Birchwood said.

Dr Clyde Cave, a Consultant Paediatrician and Neonatologist in the QEH’s Department of Paediatrics, said that though the NICU has had its challenges over the years, the department has grown in leaps and bounds as new technologies are introduced to staff to support the high level of care that is required for these babies.

“The way we look after babies now and the babies we look after now, are not the same as what we had 30 years ago. It was not expected then that very small, sick babies would receive extraordinary care. The expectations have changed along with the technology and the skills, so the challenges we face now are much more complex than when we first started.

“There have been many, many nurses who have given of themselves and their time to babies. Lots of parents have been part of our journey in this, and of course babies, many of whom now are 30 years old,” he revealed.

Dr Cave also stressed that the success of the NICU could not have been achieved, if not for the hard work and service of the staff, both past and present. It has only been through their efforts, and the generous donations from the public, that the department continues to see improvements in the care of patients every year. (SB)