Barbadians encouraged to use services on Chinese hospital ship

Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George is urging Barbadians to take advantage of medical services being offered aboard the Chinese naval hospital ship Silk Road Ark, which is currently docked at the Bridgetown Port.

Dr George made the appeal while speaking to the media at the end of a guided tour of the vessel on Saturday. The tour included officials from the Ministry of Health and members of the Barbados Defence Force.

While welcoming the opportunity, the chief medical officer acknowledged that members of the public should expect some logistical challenges.

“We have encouraged the Barbadian public to use the opportunity. There will be some logistical issues because individuals can’t come directly into the port,” Dr George explained. “Arrangements are being made for persons to come to Kensington Mall, with shuttle transportation provided.”

However, he noted that appointments will not be issued.

“Unfortunately, there are no appointments being given, so I know there are going to be some scheduling issues, but the ship didn’t allow us to give appointments,” he said.

Despite these limitations, Dr George stressed that the visit goes beyond the provision of healthcare services.

“It certainly signals the closing of ties between Barbados and China,” he said, adding that China has offered Barbados an eighth medical team, which is expected to arrive on the island shortly.

He highlighted the long-standing medical cooperation between the two countries, particularly at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH).

“They provide healthcare services within the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, especially for services not readily available to us. They’ve been coming for several years now, and that cooperative agreement was again renewed,” he said. “They were also very helpful during COVID, including with vaccines. It’s always been a warm and friendly relationship, particularly with the Ministry of Health.”

Turning to Barbados’ own role in regional medical assistance, Dr George referenced the Barbados Defence Force’s deployment to Jamaica under the Helping Hands mission.

“We don’t have as many resources as China, but Barbados also contributes,” he said. “We sent nurses, doctors and other professionals, including environmental health officers and pharmacists, to support Jamaica in its time of need.”

He expressed hope that Barbadian medical personnel who volunteered for the mission gained valuable experience.

“I hope they were able to gain good insights, because Barbados must be prepared for unnatural events,” he said.

The Silk Road Ark is staffed by approximately 60 medical professionals and is equipped with a full laboratory, diagnostic services, CT scans, ultrasounds and surgical facilities. While most of the staff are not nurses, the ship is capable of performing surgeries onboard.

Dr George said the Ministry of Health has encouraged the QEH to review its backlog of ambulatory cases that could potentially be addressed through the ship’s services.

“We have encouraged the Queen Elizabeth Hospital to look at their backlog, particularly for ambulatory services—people who can walk in, have surgery the same day and leave,” he said. “We hope that at least a few people will get some interventions.”

When asked whether Barbados might acquire a similar medical ship in the future, Dr George said this remains a distant prospect.

“That’s a political decision. I think we have many more steps to achieve before we get to a ship,” he said. “There are still fundamental aspects of healthcare that need to be improved first, and I believe that should be the priority.” (SB)