A COVID warrior’s journey

Navigating the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic was undeniably one of the toughest tasks faced worldwide. Through his own lens, Lieutenant Colonel the Most Honourable Jeffrey Bostic, the then Minister of Health, has chronicled this unprecedented dark period and the eventual light at the end of the tunnel in No Retreat, No Surrender: The COVID-19 Experience of a Small Island Developing State.

Many of the individuals who worked alongside Lt Col Bostic during the crisis were in attendance for the book launch hosted at the National Library Service on Saturday evening.

“The book is dedicated to the many healthcare and frontline workers who gave their all to the war against the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said. “It is also dedicated to the memory of Dr Clarissa Etienne, the late director of the Pan American Health Organisation,” he said.

Admitting that the book, published by Chattel House Books, consumed a lot of his time, he said: “I honestly felt that somebody had to do this, this had to be done.”

Challenged by a freak storm, Hurricane Elsa and the ash fall from the eruption of the La Soufriere volcano, Lt Col Bostic was of the firm view that the monumental effort of Barbados and Barbadians could not go unrecognised. “It simply had to be articulated,” he declared.

At the peak of the battle against the disease, resources were stretched and pressure was mounting amongst healthcare workers, the former minister recalled. He recognised the need to uplift his team’s morale. This realisation gave birth to the ex-soldier’s popular mantra that became the book’s title: “No retreat, no surrender.”

Reflecting on the importance of motivation in times of adversity, Lt Col Bostic said: “Fighting a war, you have to motivate your troops.”

“People who did not have much gave to those who did not have anything. The pandemic really brought out in some cases the very worst, in most cases the very best of Barbados,” he added.

Facing this war was a team effort, Lt Col Bostic said of a journey for which he initially felt ill-prepared when he was thrust into the ministerial role. But it was with the help of his supportive network that he was able to reap the success he did.

Touching once again on his resignation from the health ministry, he again said he had predetermined how long he planned to remain in office: “I was happy, having demitted office, knowing there was a team there to carry on. So, it was not just Jeffrey Bostic, (but) a well-trained, well-oiled, well-integrated, well-motivated team.”

Among those highlighted for their contributions were then Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health Janet Phillips, Lt Col Bostic’s former constituency assistant and personal aide Mark Kellman, and Dr Ingrid Cumberbatch.

Lt Col Bostic said he believes that the book provides a blueprint for the level of planning that is required in a national emergency and could be used to confront future challenges. He said he wants to see the book added to the school curriculum.

“There are a lot of legacy items there that I think you need to grasp and to make sure we build on and don’t let them fall on the wayside,” he said.

Senator John King served as master of ceremonies for the intimate gathering that began with a welcome from Director of the National Library Service Jennifer Yarde. Among those in attendance were Rachel Williams, Publisher Services Representative for publisher Chattel House Books, and  Deputy Dean of Recruitment and Outreach and Senior Lecturer in Clinical Pharmacology at the University of the West Indies Dr Kenneth Connell.

Patrons had the opportunity to have their copies autographed by the author.
(STT)