Health

Biopharma White Book A Significant Milestone For Barbados

Minister of Health and Wellness, Senator Dr. The Most Honourable Jerome Walcott, has described the handover of Barbados’ own Biopharma White Book by BioPharma-Excellence as a significant achievement.

The “White Book”, as it is commonly called, was yesterday presented to Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Two Mile Hill, St. Michael, in the presence of several health officials, including members of the Barbados Drug Service, and representatives of Biopharma-Excellence.

Mr. Walcott, who noted that the White Book was the convergence of a series of strategic activities started more than a year ago, remarked: “Today is a very special day for Barbados and its Pan-African and Caribbean partnership in the area of health development. It is a key milestone in our biopharma project, the genesis of which was about two years ago, at a time when I had responsibility for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade.

“At that time, our Prime Minister, along with the President of the Republic of Rwanda and the President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, met to discuss how the Caribbean and Africa could ensure that the vaccine apartheid, which our respective regions experienced during the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, would not happen again for us.”

While noting that the country’s foray into this field was not an accident, the Health Minister acknowledged it was the result of the vision which Prime Minister Mottley has for Barbados to become a global leader and hub for value-added goods and services.

Mr. Walcott emphasised that Government felt it would be in the public’s interest to put measures in place proactively to provide for the wellbeing of citizens in the event of future pandemics, while at the same time stimulating economic activity and creating employment opportunities.

Further tracing the history of the Biopharma White Book, the Health Minister revealed that from early discussions, it was recognised that if Barbados and Guyana were to get involved in the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, to meet the needs of the populations of the two regions, they would have to be compliant with the requirements of the international organisations that have responsibility for overseeing the food and drug regulatory authorities across the globe.

“This White Book presents for each country, a gap analysis of what must be done, to create the enabling environment for regulation, in the pharmaceutical industry. Our White Book delineates Barbados’ strategic pathway toward the establishment of a robust regulatory agency for pharmaceutical products. This body of work is critical in our pursuit of pharmaceutical self-reliance and enhancing public health standards within our nation,” he explained.

It was noted that on November 8, 2022, Prime Minister Mottley, along with Guyana’s President, Dr. Irfaan Ali and the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, signed a historic Communique on the development of pharmaceuticals for global public health, and their end-to-end production in the Caribbean and Latin America, supported by a “transatlantic bridge” between Africa and the region.

Health Minister Walcott, in thanking all contributors, acknowledged the island’s White Book was the outcome of extensive research and efforts by Biopharma-Excellence, led by Dr. Michael Pfleiderer, who, along with his team, produced the final document.

Other collaborators, he added, included the Barbados Pharmaceutical Programme and the Barbados Drug Service, the Ministry of Health and Wellness, the University of the West Indies, Invest Barbados, Export Barbados and several other critical stakeholders.

He also acknowledged the offer of technical assistance to the Barbados Pharmaceutical Programme made by the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) and stressed PAHO continues to be a significant partner for Barbados in its delivery of health services. (PR/GIS)

CAPTION: Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley and Health Minister, Senator Dr. The Most Honourable Jerome Walcott pose with the Biopharma White Book at yesterday’s handover ceremony. Looking on (left to right) are Principal Consultant Biopharma – Excellence, Dr. Michael Pfliederer; Executive Director, kENUP Foundation, Holm Keller; Director General, Food & Director of the Barbados Drug Service, Maryam Hinds; and Chief Medical Officer, Dr. The Most Honourable Kenneth George

Health

More Nurses Arrive From Ghana

Barbados’ nursing complement has been boosted with the arrival of 155 nurses from Ghana at the Grantley Adams International Airport, yesterday.

The nurses, who were accompanied by Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Health, Adelaide Ntim, were greeted by Minister of Health and Wellness, Senator Dr. The Most Honourable Jerome Walcott, and other officials.

This is the third cohort of Ghanaian nurses to be dispatched to Barbados since 2020, to address the local nursing shortage. Ninety-five nurses came in the first group during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, while 120 more arrived in 2022, some of whom are still employed here and have made Barbados their home.

Minister Walcott explained that the nurses would be assigned to various specialty areas of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ primary care facilities. These areas include cardiology, accident and emergency theatre, midwifery, psychiatric medicine, and geriatrics.

“So, we’re looking for these nurses to help improve the overall delivery of our healthcare,” stated Dr. Walcott.

Ms. Ntim said Ghana had a surplus of nurses, some of whom were not even employed. She said she welcomed the partnership with Barbados.

The Deputy Minister of Health added that nurses from the previous cohorts proved that they were more than capable of doing their jobs, and expressed confidence that the most recent cohort would also “deliver”. (PR/GIS)

Caption: Minister of Health and Wellness, Senator Dr. The Most Honourable Jerome Walcott, in discussion with Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Health, Adelaide Ntim, at the Grantley Adams International Airport yesterday. Senator Walcott was on hand to welcome 155 Ghanaian nurses to Barbados

Health

CHANGES TO HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

The Ministry of Health will soon roll out a number of changes to the island’s primary healthcare system, in order to drastically address the high numbers of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) seen among the Barbadian population.
This announcement was made by Senior Minister of Health and Wellness, the Most Honourable Dr. Jerome Walcott, as he presented a token of appreciation to Dr. Trevor Hassell in recognition of his outstanding efforts in educating Barbadians on the importance of addressing non-communicable diseases NCDs.
Walcott said, “I have a personal mandate that we should try to reduce the premature adult mortality from NCDs by a third. It is not impossible, it can be done, and in the course of the next few weeks, you will gradually see a roll out of parts of this process.”

He stressed “You will see the plans for primary healthcare; everybody is focused on QEH and tertiary healthcare, but the fundamentals of healthcare have to do with primary healthcare. The ability of early prevention, detection to get better health outcomes. We are looking at that in a project to be discussed soon.”
The Health Minister also revealed that additional screening for a variety of NCDs and cancers will also be made available.
“Within the ministry we are looking at a number of screening processes. We are looking to roll out before the end of this month a colonic screening process initially in two polyclinics, and thereafter we expand. We are looking at a cervical cancer screening process; we are looking at providing mammography services within the QEH again as was previously done up until 2008 where persons can have access to mammograms again for early detection and treatment for cancers.

Health

BMCLA Hosts Inaugural Bajan Cannabis Conference

Barbados is forging ahead in the medicinal cannabis industry with innovative solutions, despite the challenges being faced.

Acting Minister of Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Security, Wilfred Abrahams, stated this last Friday, while addressing the inaugural Bajan Cannabis Conference, at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Two Mile Hill, St. Michael.

Noting that this country is charting an exciting future for the sector, with a focus on transforming healthcare, empowering local entrepreneurs, and embracing digital innovation, he said this will allow Barbados to position itself as one of the leaders in the Caribbean in this lucrative and fast-evolving global industry.

Mr. Abrahams disclosed that “11 applicants, representing 33 licences”, had been approved to date. He added: “And we are committed to moving this industry forward. This announcement marks a major step in Barbados’ drive to develop a thriving medicinal cannabis industry that will contribute to both healthcare and wellness tourism.”

The Minister praised the Barbados Medicinal Cannabis Licensing Authority (BMCLA) for its efforts in assisting local entrepreneurs to join the growing industry by introducing a flexible payment plan. “This plan allows licensees to pay 60 per cent of their licence fee upfront, with the remaining 40 per cent paid in instalments over the first three years, … either monthly, quarterly, or annually,” he stated.

Meanwhile, acting Chief Executive Officer of the BMCLA, Shanika Roberts-Odle, pointed out that the industry continues to face significant challenges, particularly with the banking sector’s reluctance to support cannabis-related businesses.

To deal with this and other issues, she said three Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) were signed, which sought to overcome key hurdles and advance the development of the medicinal cannabis industry in Barbados.

The CEO noted that one of the most pressing challenges has been the lack of banking solutions for businesses in the medicinal cannabis sector, not only in Barbados but globally. To address this, she said the BMCLA partnered with M Money, a digital banking platform, to develop solutions that will facilitate local transactions for cannabis businesses.

Ms. Roberts-Odle pointed out that traditional financial institutions have been hesitant to support the industry due to regulatory concerns, and this had slowed investment and growth.

“While we haven’t completely solved the banking issue, this brings us closer and allows us to move money locally. Banking has been one of the biggest stumbling blocks, particularly in terms of facilitating investment in the industry,” she said.

The CEO disclosed that the BMCLA had also entered into a collaboration with Export Barbados, which is designed to support the marketing, testing, and manufacturing of medicinal cannabis products, ensuring that products are developed to the highest standards and marketed internationally. “It’s not just about growing the plant; it’s about marketing these products internationally and manufacturing them to the highest standards,” Ms. Roberts-Odle explained.

Also recognising the need for regional collaboration, she said the BMCLA signed an MOU with the Caribbean Cannabis Forum, which reinforces the need for a united Caribbean approach to cannabis policy, particularly when dealing with international regulatory bodies such as the World Trade Organization and the United Nations.

“Barbados has always recognised the importance of moving together as a Caribbean region. It has been crucial in protecting our interests on the international stage,” said Ms. Roberts-Odle.

She noted that the partnership also ensures that Barbados and its Caribbean neighbours continue to advocate for policies that reflect their unique relationship with cannabis, while also promoting responsible usage and industry standards.

She added: “We recognise the frustrations that people have expressed, but the transition from growing cannabis informally to producing medical-grade cannabis for immunocompromised patients is a vast leap. The BMCLA is committed to ensuring that our industry meets these high standards.” (PR/GIS)