Grenada Government Ministers and Officials visit General Hospital

ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, December 23, 2011 – Prime Minister Hon. Tillman Thomas on Thursday led a delegation of government ministers and senior health officials on a tour of the island’s main hospital in St. George’s, bringing Christmas greetings to patients, staff and visitors.

The Prime Minster, along with Finance Minister Nazim Burke and Health Minister Ann Peters, were accompanied by officials such as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Isaac Bhagwan; Director of Medical Services, Dr. Kester Dragon; and Deputy Director of Nursing Services, Hazelyn Benjamin. 

During the three-hour-long visit, the Grenadian leader went from bed to bed and floor to floor, meeting and greeting patients, doctors and nurses. 

As Mr. Thomas and the team moved about the hospital wards, several persons stopped him to express how pleased they were with the level of care and attention given to them by the healthcare providers.

Many people also stopped and embraced the island’s Health Minister, while commending and encouraging her to continue to do her best to improve the level of healthcare services.

One such person was former Foreign Affairs Minister and Member of Parliament Dr. Raphael Fletcher. He congratulated both Minister Peters and Prime Minister Thomas for the excellent work they are doing. 

As the delegation conducted their visit, they also took the time to consider ways in which the patients can continue to reap more health benefits and of improving the working environments for staff to perform at their optimum level.

Already the Ministry of Health has outlined several new projects to come on stream in 2012 that will improve the delivery of services and patient outcomes.

These include the construction of the General Hospital’s second phase, and refurbishment and expansion of several buildings and areas such as the Laboratory, Duncan’s Ward, and the O’Doughty building.

In 2011, the Health Ministry undertook several major initiatives at the General Hospital. Among them were the construction of a disabled and emergency access ramp; refurbishment of the X-ray Unit (waiting area); and conversion of the former nursing school into office space and ward in preparation for refurbishment of some sections of the main hospital facility.

Following the tour of the General Hospital, the Prime Minister-led delegation visited the Home for the Aged at Richmond Hill, St. George’s.

SOURCE: Ministry of Health/Keville Frederick

Christmas Message - Senator Ann Peters, Minister for Health

Fellow Grenadians,

As we celebrate this Christmas season, we reflect on the birth of our lord Jesus Christ; and we must remember to give God thanks for his abundant blessings and love to us as a nation.

Christmas is a time of joy and happiness, giving and sharing; and the coming together of family and friends to celebrate the goodness of the season.

Let us not forget those in our midst, who are less fortunate and most vulnerable as well as those who are in pain or suffering around this time.

Fellow citizens, this year has been a challenging year for us as a Ministry but through it all, we were able to do our best with the resources available to improve the quality and delivery of health care services to our clients.  

The following are some of our achievements and progress of my Ministry:

Commencement of Apprenticeship program (85 young people enrolled and commenced on-the-job training as of December 1, 2011.

Over 22,000 children has benefitted from the “Smile Grenada” national school-based dental health project.

Commencement of Clinical Teaching Program at the General Hospital in collaboration with St. George’s University.

Began the construction of the Gouyave Health Centre. (Phase one)

Through our continued efforts and service delivery, Grenada was recognized as one of the three countries with the lowest maternal mortality rate in the world.

Major refurbishments were carried out on health care facilities in St. Mark, St. John, St. Patrick and St. George.

Appointments of the Medical & Dental Council and Allied Health Practitioners Council. 

Addressed the issue relating to the shortages of medical supplies.

Completion of the national consultation on the new Mental Health Bill.

Establishment of National HIV/AIDS Council Secretariat.

Continuous training and development of our human resources in areas of; Vector control, Needle-stick Prevention, HIV/AIDS, Mental Health, Cervical Cancer Screening and Detection, Proper Prescribing and Management of Medicines, Chronic Diseases Prevention, Control and Management, Radiology, Diseases Surveillance, Disaster Mitigation and Management; to name a few.

Fellow Grenadians, these achievements could not have been accomplished without the dedication and commitment of our staff at all levels, many of whom goes the extra mile for our patients and others we serve.

Ladies and Gentlemen, in closing I want to reiterate my commitment to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of our public health care system.

My Ministry will continue to collaborate with all stakeholders to make 2012 an even better year, by improving our delivery of service and patient outcomes.

I wish you a merry Christmas, and a bright, prosperous, happy and healthy 2012.

I thank you and may God bless you.  

Grenada's Maternal Mortality Ratio highlighted at Commonwealth Seminar

LONDON, UK, October 19, 2011 – The World Health Organisation (WHO) said that Grenada is among the three countries with the lowest Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in the world, followed by Japan and Mauritius.

There are 0 deaths to every 100,000 live births in the country, according to the WHO.

The information was highlighted at seminar in London which was attended by the High Commissioner for Grenada HE Ruth Elizabeth Rouse.

The High Commissioner was at the time giving the Commonwealth’s response to an address by Lord Nigel Crisp entitled “Can the MDGs be achieved without Women’s Health Taking Centre Stage?”, on Monday at the Commonwealth Secretariat Seminar: MDGs, Women’s Health and the Care Economy.

The Seminar was one in a series of strategic activities on the 2011 Commonwealth theme: Women as Agents of Change to highlight the role and contribution of women as change agents in the Health Sector. The seminar also placed emphasis on the importance of women’s health being critical for their empowerment as effective change agents.

The WHO statistics went on to elaborate that the contributing factors to low MMR include:

·         Improved access to health facilities and maternal care

·         Early risk detection

·         Multi-sector approach involving all Departments, Sectors and Ministries of health, education, public services, etc.

·         Midwives are extensively trained in record keeping, communication skills, monitoring and evaluation systems, and networking beyond nursing skills

Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma delivered opening remarks and the event was chaired by Dr Sylvia Aine, Director, Social Transformation Programmes Division.

The High Commissioner for Grenada said that though Commonwealth member countries were striving to enhance women’s health with competing priorities, low budgets, migration as real challenges, she was indeed proud to share some good practices and the progress Grenada had made towards MDG -5.

In commenting on Grenada’s placement, Minister for Health, Senator The Honourable Ann Peters, praised the strong Community Programme which is undertaken in Grenada,   managed by trained midwives and health personnel.

High Commission for Grenada

London

October 18^th 2011

Photo: Lord Nigel Crisp; SG Kamalesh Sharma; HC Rouse

Credit: Commonwealth Secretariat

Grenada says its real challenge is transforming its health sector from a curative to a preventive-based system

NEW YORK, September 22, 2011 - Non-communicable Diseases constitute a major public challenge for all countries, developed and developing alike.

And, according to Grenada’s Health Minister Anne Peters, Grenada, like many other CARICOM countries, recognizes the growing threat, posed by NCDs on its small, fragile economy and the need to take decisive action to reduce the burden of the disease and protect the sustainable development of the country in the future.

The Grenadian Minister told the General Assembly’s High-Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases that Grenada believes that primary prevention and promotion are the most cost -effective, equitable and sustainable strategies to fight NCDs.

“In this regard, Grenada approved a new policy framework for the revitalization of primary health care. We have adopted a multi-agency approach to addressing CNCDs. We have established the National Chronic Diseases Commission; comprising representatives from a range of sectors including health, education, agriculture, youth, sports, private sector, NGOs, churches and the media to advise on strategies to reduce risk factors of NCDs,” she said.

The Minister said that Grenada has implemented the Chronic Care Passport, a healthy lifestyle initiative, which is aimed at providing a method for the systematic monitoring and evaluation of patients with chronic diseases and the empowerment of patients to take charge of their health.

She said that a national CNCD’s Risk Factor Survey (STEPS) was concluded to support the planning of health promotion and prevention campaigns.

The Health Minister said the real challenge for Grenada lies in transforming its health sector from a curative to a preventive-based system; and implementing reform in the midst of a global economic crisis and escalating costs of medical care.

She said greater effort is needed to influence the global food industry to join the fight against NCDs.

And she said Grenada believes that the United Nations can play a more important role in that respect.