Barbados’ main isolation facility at Harrison Point, St Lucy has been praised by members of the Barbados Nurses Association of America Inc., (BNAA) who will be assisting local medical personnel with management of coronavirus (COVID-19).
During a press conference on Tuesday, president of the BNAA Cecily Wilkinson and emergency room nurse Sonia Forde, two of the seven nurses, who are members of the medical mission, lauded the local team for their camaraderie and skill.
Despite what she saw on social media about mistreatment at the facility, Forde, who works in New York, said she was impressed with the equipment and the efficiency of the teams.
“Initially, when we were confronted, we didn’t know what we were dealing with and that’s what you are going through now so we know how to handle it.
“However, I am very impressed. I’m looking at your equipment and you have better equipment than we do, and given that there isn’t adequate staff, you are doing a lot. The physicians are doing work that nurses in my area do . . . so the social media did not do justice, and I think it’s totally unfair and it’s irresponsible on the part of the individuals that did it,” Forde said.
Since Monday, seven Barbadian nurses and one Trinidadian who volunteered have been assisting healthcare teams at Harrison Point.
From next week, another nurse will be added to the neonatal intensive care unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH).
When Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley visited New York a few months ago, she made a plea to members of the diaspora to assist with our fight against COVID-19.
Wilkinson said after that call, they did their best to enlist as many people as they could.
Members of the BNAA team are experienced in critical care, accident and emergency, swabbing and family medicine. They all had to be vaccinated and their necessary licensing had to be up-to-date.
“All of us are taking a vacation and we are here to volunteer but we are using our own vacation and we are paying our passage to come,” Wilkinson said.
Meanwhile, the Director of Nursing Services at the QEH Henderson Pinder expressed gratitude to the volunteers. He said the assistance would take some of the pressure off of the local teams.
“The exchange here will provide Barbados with much-needed help and provide the nurses here with a period of respite. These nurses have been on the forefront fighting 12 or more hours a day, so with this team coming on the ground they will provide the nurses with a chance to slow their pace,” Pinder said. (TG)
