COLONIAL
DEVELOPMENT WELFARE POLICY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Stemming from the damning indictment
that was the Moyne Commission (and other) reports, various recommendations were
made by colonial authorities in order to improve the health and wellness of the
poor and lower classes on the island. The following article documents some of those
health care initiatives.
In 1945, on the heels of the release of
the Moyne Commission Report, Mr. Henry Douglas Weatherhead introduced a
memorandum titled “Medical Services of Barbados and Proposals for Reorganization.”[1][2]
In this he concluded that there was a dire need for new legislation governing
health care on the island and further recommended that the islands’ entire
health care sector be reorganized. That same year, the Colonial Welfare Department,
guided by the recently passed Colonial
Welfare Act, allocated £800,000 to the island; funds meant to facilitate this
reorganization over the ten year period from 1946 to 1956.[3]
These, in part, made possible the implementation
of a number of health care building projects and initiatives. One such
initiative was the construction of the Verona Maternity hospital which was
completed in 1947 and opened in 1948; [4]
a dental clinic was opened at the same location three years later in 1951. These
were followed by the construction of numerous other health care facilities over
the following decade.[5]
BARBADOS FAMILY PLANNING ASSOCIATION
The Barbados Family Planning
Association was another organization which arose in the decade post- Moyne. Founded
in May 1954 out of the necessity to control and reduce the island’s high infant
and maternal mortality rate, the figures from the decade which followed its
founding indicate that it was a successful addition to the islands’ health
network. In 1954, the national birthrate was 33.2 per 1000; this decreased to
20.9 in 1969 and was further reduced to 17.6 in 1977.[6]
This pattern of decline continued and by 2004 it stood at 12.7 per 1000.[7]
Undoubtedly, the introduction of female contraceptives and planned parenthood
education contributed to the success of this programme.
HEALTH CENTRES
The Moyne Report was an unflattering
indictment on the disregard for the health of the working class among whom
malnutrition, venereal disease and high infant mortality were endemic. Out of
these unfortunate set of circumstances came the Five year plan of development and taxation for 1952-53 to 1956-57.
As a result, the Governor appointed a committee under the chairmanship of Dr.
Hugh Gordon Cummins which was tasked to advise government and to implement a
programme of hospital expansion. The 1953 Public
Health Act presented the framework for which a community clinic initiative
was to be introduced.
SPEIGHTSTOWN HEALTH CENTER
The Speightstown Health Center was
officially opened on 1st July 1953 by Colonial Governor Sir Robert
Arundell making it the first parochial approach to organized public health on
the island.[8]
One month before its official opening, Dr. Maurice Byer was appointed its first
Medical Health Officer with Sister Aurora Waters, who had recently completed
her public health training in Jamaica and Trinidad, acting as Public Health Nurse.
Nurses M. Mayers and B. Payne were added to the staff in September as junior Public
Health Nurses while Mr. E. Baird acted as sanitary officer from 15th February
1954. Such was the need for the service it provided that within nine months of
its commencing operations 9,090 injections of Penicillin were administered, 584
cases of Syphilis treated along with 237 cases of Gonorrhea.[9]
In addition, two years later, in 1956, a family planning clinic was opened at
the clinic.[10]
This clinic serviced the northern
parishes of St. Lucy, St. Peter, St. James, St. Andrew, St. Thomas and St.
Joseph with the majority of its patrons coming from St. James parish during its
first 9 months of operation. By 1959, several outpost clinics had been
established, one at Belleplaine another at Chimborazo and one other established
at Mt. Hillaby in 1960. A mental health clinic, one of the first of its kind on
the island, was started at Speightstown Health center in 1960.
ENMORE HEALTH CENTER
One of the Governor’s requests, as part
of the five year development plan, was for the establishment of a health center
for Bridgetown. This was placed at the Enmore site. As a result, the Enmore
Health Clinic was opened in February 1955. Later, in October of that year Dr.
Edgar Cochrane was appointed as Medical Health Officer with Dr. D.O.D Payne as
part-time Tuberculosis Officer. Enmore was equipped with a modern X-ray unit
with a 5”x 4” camera detachment.[11]
In January 1956, a national BCG campaign commenced and this was head-quartered
at Enmore.[12]
In addition, a V.D clinic was introduced
in September 1955, followed by a chest clinic which was frequented by persons
wishing to travel to the United Kingdom. A total of 71,952 persons attended
Enmore in 1956 followed by 64,371 in 1957. These figures alone indicate that
this clinic was greatly appreciated by residents of Bridgetown and surrounded
areas. In 1960, dental and ophthalmic services were introduced at Enmore[13]
followed by a mental hygiene clinic in October 1961.[14]
SIX ROADS HEALTH CENTER
With health centers located in Bridgetown
and in the north of the island, on March 15th 1957, the Six Roads
Health Centre was officially opened with Dr. Cochrane visiting weekly from
Enmore as consultant.[15]
On the 27th of April 1958, Dr. Kenneth Standard was appointed
Medical Officer of Health and assumed duties on May 5th with Nurse
Millington as his Staff Nurse and Dr. C. Hutson as V.D Officer. Numerous satellite
clinics were established from Six Roads including school- medical and diabetic
clinics, home visiting, and clinics for midwifery and health education for
schools. This clinic served the southern parishes of St. Phillip, and Christ
Church, parts of St. John and St. George.
Other clinics were located at Kendal in St. John (from 1st
Oct 1959) and at Charles Rowe Bridge From Oct 2nd 1959 which was
later called the Glebe Clinic from 1960.[16]
Other much utilized clinics were located at Gall Hill in St. John, and at St.
Augustine in St. George.
DISTRICT
HOSPITALS
In December 1960, the first District Hospital was opened. Its
area of operation was the highly populated Oistins district and at the time
provided 20 beds for persons seeking care.
Other
District Hospitals
St.
Thomas District Hospital,
St. Andrew District Hospital,
St. Phillip District Hospital (Ruby),
St. Michael District Hospital,
St. Lucy District Hospital,
Gordon Cumming District Hospital (Rock hall)
POLYCLINICS
AND YEAR ESTABLISHED
Sir
Winston Scott – 1984
St.
Phillip and St. John Outpatient’s Clinic – 1957
Maurice
Byer (Horse Hill Out patients Clinic) – 1978
Randall
Phillips - 1984
Black
Rock Polyclinic – 1994
Warrens
(St. Thomas and St. Andrew Out-Patients)
Edgar
Cochrane – 1984
Glebe
Polyclinic – 1987
QUEEN ELIZABETH HOSPITAL
Opened
in 1964 14th November 1964 at a cost of $8,683,653, it replaced the
old General Hospital as the premier primary care facility on the island.[17]
This 520 bed facility was fully equipped with surgical and medical theaters and
was considered state of the art at its completion.
ST.JOSEPH HOSPITAL
The St. Joseph Hospital at Villa Maria , Ashton Hall St. Peter
was opened on Thursday January 6,
1966 by Premier of Barbados Mr. Errol Walton Barrow. As premier, Mr. Barrow was
given the honor of delivering the opening address for the spanking new 135 bed
facility, owned and operated by the sisters of sorrowful mothers incorporated
Inc. In the presence of a crowd of
500, the dedication of the facility was performed by Grenadian Roman Catholic
Bishop Justin Field whose diocese included Barbados. Taking two years to
complete, at a cost of 2.5 million US dollars, the St. Joseph Hospital was
built by the contractors R. P Farnsworth and Company Inc and was the first to
be built in the West Indies by this catholic sect.
A state of the art facility, built on
six acres of land, it included a built-in chapel, an emergency power plant, and
a 30,000 gallon water storage
reservoir and a 50,000 gallon sewage treatment plant as well and an emergency
backup power system in case of
power failure.[18]
Its maternity and operating theaters, the laboratory as well as the Doctors
lounge were fully air-conditioned. Of its 135 beds, 25 were dedicated to pediatric
care and 20 were designated free to members of the public.[19]
In his opening address, Barrow lauded
its thoughtful planning and excellent architecture. Responsibility for construction fell under the guidance of
Robertson Ward and Associates, Mechanical consultants were Harry Goldstein and
Associates David Key and Partners were the structural engineers and its
Electrical consultants were Mario Zervigon and Associates.[20]
Telephone communication at the facility consisted of 50 lines with four main
lines while the building was built with specially designed floor tiling
designed to prevent electrical interference. A state of the art kitchen with
specially design food carts ensured that meals arrived at the bed sides of
patients at the required temperature. At its opening this hospital was state of
the art in style as well as substance.
Its
first Director/Matron was Sister Mary Bartholomea and it was she who was
responsible for the interior design of the new facility. A nurse early in her
career, in 1946 she decided to study architecture and the St. Joseph facility
was her first overseas design. In her remarks during the opening ceremony she
expressed the wish that the island would “…take full advantage of the
activities…offered” at the new facility. Other than Mr. Barrow, other dignitaries
in attendance were Senator Odessa Gittens, Barbados Minister of Health Edwy
Talma, and Father Hilary Carpenter of the Dominican Mission who came from Rome
for the occasion. Officially opened to patients on February 15th,
Its Chief of medical staff was Dr. H.C. Rogers, its Vice President was Dr. P.D.
Wardle and its Secretary Treasurer Dr. T. J Gilmore.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Annual Reports of the Director of Medical Services. 1957-1967.
Barbados Advocate, Jan 6, 1966.
Barbados Advocate, February12th, 1955
March 31st
2015.
Byer, Maurice.” Development of Public Health Services in
Barbados” in Four Decades of Advances in
Health in the Commonwealth Caribbean. Paho,
1979.
Colonial Reports: Barbados, 1947, 1950 and 1951.
Gilkes, Al. “A Special Gift” Barbados Advocate, January 8, 1966.
Ramsey, Frank. Protein Energy Malnutrition in Barbados.
Josiah R. Macy Foundation, 1979.
Standard, Kenneth. L. Four Decades of Advances in Health
in the Commonwealth Caribbean.
Bridgetown, 1977.
[1]
Kenneth. L Standard. Four Decades of Advances in Health in the Commonwealth
Caribbean Bridgetown, 1977, p46.
[2]
Also in Frank Ramsey. Protein Energy Malnutrition in Barbados, p23.
[3]
Colonial Report, Barbados 1947, p4.
[4]
Ibid.
[5]
Colonial Report, Barbados, 1950 and 1951. p40.
[6] Frank
Ramsey. Protein Energy Malnutrition in Barbados, New York, 1977 p, 25.
[7]
Barbados Family Planning Association. http://bfpa.net/cms/default.asp?V_DOC_ID=1182.
Retrieved. March 31st 2015
[8]
Annual Reports of the Director of Medical Services 1953-54. p, 7.
[9]
Ibid 8
[10]
Annual Report of the Director of Medical Services 1956-57, p4.
[11]
Ibid, p6.
[12]
Maurice Byer.” Development of Public Health Services in Barbados” in Four
Decades of Advances in Health in the Commonwealth Caribbean. Paho, 1979,
p77.
[13]
Annual Report of the Director of Medical Services, 1960, p34.
[14]
Annual Report of the Director of Medical Services, 1961, p32.
[15]
Annual Report of the Director of Medical Services, 1956-58, p11.
[16]
Annual Report of the Medical Services, 1959-60, p47.
[17]
Frank Ramsey. Protein- Energy Nutrition in Barbados, 1979, p27.
[18]
Barbados Advocate , Jan 6, 1966 , p1
[19]
Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer, 1967. p14.
[20]
Al Gilkes. “A Special Gift” Barbados Advocate January 8, 1966 p8.
