Establishing Centres of Excellence in Healthcare in the OECS
(ZIZ News) – OECS Health Ministers are taking a serious look at the establishment of Centres of Excellence in Healthcare throughout the sub-region.
That was disclosed by Antigua and Barbuda’s Minister of Health, the Hon. Molwyn Joseph, at a press conference held at the closing of the 2nd Council of Health Ministers Meeting in St. Kitts and Nevis, on Thursday.
He said, “We must now take it a step further and develop this type of high level service in other OECS countries so that we could have centres of excellence. That’s the idea and I think that message must get across to the OECS. We have, for instance, no area in the Caribbean where you can get treatment for neurosurgery. If someone needs surgery and a neurosurgeon is required, we have to go to Trinidad or Jamaica. What we’re looking at now, which has been discussed by the OECS ministers, is to have a neurosurgeon dedicated to the OECS.”
Making reference to the Cancer Centre of the Eastern Caribbean located in Antigua, Minister Joseph said the idea is to have centres offering different services in other OECS territories.
“The idea is that in each of the OECS states, we might be able to develop areas in healthcare delivery. For instance, in Antigua and Barbuda we now have the Cancer Centre that could serve the entire OECS. There is no reason we can’t have a centre in another island where we have a Centre of Excellence for Cardiology. And that’s the idea,” he added.
The 2nd Council of Health Ministers Meeting was held at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort.