On Friday 29th June, Bayview Hospital unveiled our new state-of-the-art two-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at an official opening ceremony on the Hospital’s grounds.
After a blessing by Father Paul of the ICU and the Hospital as a whole, the Minister of Health and Wellness, Lieutenant Colonel, the Honorable, Jeffrey D. Bostic MVO, MP delivered a feature address to event attendees, before cutting the ribbon to declare the new ICU space officially open.
Hospital Administrator Jules Reid said the new ICU will enable doctors who practice here to perform more complex surgeries onsite. “We can now cater for surgeries which may require post-operative ventilation, and now have the capacity to support ‘high dependency’ medical patients needing ventilation and/or close monitoring,” she said. “We will continue to invest in increasing our medical capabilities and remain focused on being the number one choice for private healthcare in Barbados, and in the region.”
Medical Chief of Staff Dr. Ranita Jhagroo provided an overview of the important new developments in Bayview Hospital’s operations over the years, expressing her thanks to the Bayview Board Members and Management Team for their commitment to improving the services offered by the Hospital.
ICU Consultant and Dr. in General (Internal) Medicine and Respiratory Medicine Dawn Alleyne additionally gave insight into the specific functions of the new Bayview ICU, explaining it is fully-equipped to be able to provide Level Two ICU support to unstable patients who require frequent nursing interventions and laboratory monitoring.
This important upgrade has involved the conversion of one of the Hospital’s four-bed semi-private rooms into the two-bed ICU facility, which fully adheres to international ICU standards. To support this, we have also retained a special team of experienced emergency and intensive care Senior House Officers (SHOs), who will be led by two ICU Consultants, Dr Farnum and Dr. Alleyne, to facilitate the provision of the necessary 24-hour monitoring care to any patient warded in the new ICU.
Over the past three years, Bayview Hospital has undertaken a series of projects to maintain an international standard of healthcare delivery including the introduction of an allergy testing and treatment service, considerable renovations to private room accommodation and Operating Theatres, increased support coverage by a day physician, extensive training of both nursing and non-medical staff, purchasing of new medical equipment, recent reduction of deposit requirements, and the initiation of payment plan options to cover procedures.
