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DLP offers solutions to “public health emergency” at QEH

Sherrylyn Clarke
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DLP offers solutions to “public health emergency” at QEH

The Democratic Labour Party (DLP) is calling for targeted solutions to reduce wait times to under 24 hours in the Accident and Emergency Department of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH).

Spokesperson on health and wellness, Senator Andre Worrell, said in a media release today the patients’ distressing experiences, which have been widely shared on social media, reflected “a public health emergency that can no longer be ignored”.

He noted, however, that neither the Minister of Health nor the Senior Minister in the Ministry had provided “leadership, transparency or a credible plan to address the situation”.

Worrell said the QEH was under considerable strain due to a surge in violent crime and serious accidents; rising cases of influenza and respiratory illness; and chronic shortages in medical staff, funding, supplies and medication.

The party offered the following solutions to address the situation.

Extended Polyclinic Services

●        Immediate extension of polyclinic operating hours to 7 p.m. on weekdays and weekends

●        Redirecting influenza and non-trauma cases away from A&E to reduce overcrowding

Emergency Staffing Initiative

●        Use vacant QEH clinic spaces after daytime hours to run evening outpatient services until 11 p.m.

●        Divert non-emergency patients from A&E into structured care streams

  • A coordinated national engagement with:

    • The Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners (BAMP)

    • Barbados Nurses Association (BNA)

    • Private doctors and medical schools

  • Short-term recruitment to support extended clinic hours and surge coverage

    Evening GP & Family Medicine Clinics at QEH

Restore Drug & Supply Stability

●        Provide supplementary funding to the Barbados Drug Service and QEH to end erratic ordering practices

●        Stabilise national medication supply chains and prevent shortages

“Despite billions borrowed and millions in healthcare grants received since COVID-19, Barbadians are experiencing worsening access, longer waits and declining service quality — an outcome that represents a fundamental failure of governance,” the statement continued.

Worrell said the DLP, having listened to the people, had solution and reaffirmed “its commitment to defending universal, accessible public healthcare and reversing the creeping privatization of essential services”. (PR/SAT)

Man killed in Worthing shooting identified

Nationnews Desk
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Man killed in Worthing shooting identified

Police have identified the man who was shot and killed on Worthing Beach on Friday night as 52-year-old Andre Brian Parris.

Parris was identified by a relative as having no fixed place of abode and formerly of #9 Fairholme Gardens, Maxwell, Christ Church.

Police said the Operations Control Room received a report around 7:37 p.m. of gunshots being heard in the Worthing, Christ Church area.

Officers responded and found the lifeless body of a male lying on the beach. Medical assistance was summoned, and a doctor later visited the scene and pronounced the man dead.

Investigations into the fatal shooting are continuing.

Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or has information that may assist is asked to contact the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-8477, Police Emergency at 211, or the Hastings/Worthing Police Station at 430-7614 or 430-7615.

Business resilience funding boost

Shawn Cumberbatch
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Business resilience funding boost

Business in Barbados are among those eligible to benefit from millions of dollars in blended finance and technical assistance to help them better withstand future climate shocks.

This is being facilitated through a partnership between the Inter-American Development Bank’s (IDB) private sector arm, IDB Invest, and the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

IDB Invest will deploy US$118.9 million of GCF funding “to increase the resilience of the Caribbean businesses while promoting environmental sustainability”.

This is part of Facing the Storm: How IDB Invest Supports Caribbean Private Sector Resilience Caribbean Net-Zero and Resilient Private Sector Programme, which “aims to drive greenhouse gas emission reductions and climate-resilient private sector investment towards the Caribbean region”.

With businesses from Barbados, The Bahamas, Belize, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago able to participate, the programme in the Caribbean seeks to mobilize up to US$400 million overall.

The blended finance resources and technical assistance is being offered across the infrastructure, renewable energy, transport, agriculture, and blue economy sectors.

Details of the initiative were shared in a recent blog by IDB experts Nikolai Orgland, a blended finance investment officer in the financial products and services division and Malini Samtani, a climate change specialist in the advisory division.

They noted that “Caribbean small island developing states face persistent vulnerability to extreme weather shocks – a reality underscored . . . when Hurricane Melissa struck” Jamaica.

“Roofs were torn off, ground floors flooded, and power lines snapped. Damage to Jamaica alone is estimated at US$8.8 billion, equivalent to approximately 41 per cent of its 2024 gross GDP. Much of this reconstruction cost will be borne by businesses and individuals paying to rebuild their homes and businesses,” Orgland and Samtani said.

“With a new GCF-financed IDB Invest facility, IDB Invest will support post-hurricane recovery and proactively help private-sector entities build stronger resilience to future climate shocks.”

They explained that “in addition to providing loans, equity, and guarantees, IDB Invest will provide businesses with technical assistance to strengthen investment readiness for resilience and develop innovative financial mechanisms to drive resilience and adaptation”.

The financial institution will also “work at the market level in these countries, with a variety of associations to train sectors such as tourism, agroprocessing, and the financial sector to incorporate resilience measures”.

Tackle sectoral challenges

Orgland and Samtani said that this approach “goes beyond individual projects to tackle sectoral challenges that can contribute to sustainable development in the Caribbean”.

The experts highlighted three structural vulnerabilities challenging the region – public finance pressure, climate risk exposure, and private sector constraints. They said that more frequent and severe weather events bring headwinds to already constrained Caribbean economies, reinforcing these three interconnected constraints.

“The local private sector struggles to fill the financing gap for resilience. Small, fragmented markets limit scale, and banking systems maintain tight risk limits. Banks prefer short-term loans, while resilience projects require long-term financing. Most financial institutions and companies have limited experience with long-term resilience projects,” the pair observed.

Their view as that while Caribbean companies cannot influence the frequency and intensity of future hurricanes, “they can improve the resilience of their companies’ assets before the next storm hits, thereby reducing losses”. “Governments face fiscal constraints that limit large-scale investment in resilient infrastructure, and the private sector has not yet bridged this financial gap. The IDB Invest GCF programme aims to address all three interconnected constraints, ultimately reducing the long-term vulnerability of businesses in these countries,” the IDB Invest team members said.

“The Caribbean manufacturer that restarts production within hours of the next hurricane, keeping workers employed and orders filled, will show what development finance can achieve when it targets systemic constraints.”

This specific Caribbean programme “serves as an initial milestone for the IDB Invest Small and Island (S&I) Roadmap, which commits to deploying approximately US$5 billion over five years to build resilient infrastructure, expand financial access, and strengthen business environments across S&I countries”.

“The GCF capital provides technical assistance and blended finance solutions to help companies transition to sustainable, environmentally responsible, and resilient operations,” Orgland and Samtani shared.

“Through this GCF facility, IDB Invest will help fill financing gaps for eligible investments by being flexible, patient, and risk-bearing.”

They said that IDB Invest-involved initiatives in Jamaica, Suriname, and Guyana showed what was possible for the programme.

“Building on these recent achievements and resources from the GCF facility, we will continue scaling up the provision of blended finance with technical assistance to help banks develop green lending products and support infrastructure project developers and firms, including medium-sized and women-led enterprises,” the duo stated.

“This strategy shifts from project-by-project interventions to a sustained effort to overcome structural barriers that constrain Caribbean development. The goal is to ensure that Caribbean businesses can rebound quickly when the next hurricane hits.” (SC)

Stars glamour on the Golden Globes red carpet

Nationnews Desk
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Stars glamour on the Golden Globes red carpet

Big names from the worlds of film and TV walked down the red carpet ahead of this year’s Golden Globes, one of Hollywood’s leading awards ceremonies.

Here’s a selection of stars who posed for photos at the event in Los Angeles.

(Credit: REUTERS)

US diplomat wants post of opposition leader filled in Guyana

Nationnews Desk
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US diplomat wants post of opposition leader filled in Guyana

United States Ambassador to Guyana, Nicole Theriot, says the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country needs to have in place an opposition leader based on the results of the September 1 general and regional elections that resulted in the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) being returned to office.

The newly formed We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) headed by Azruddin Mohamed, emerged as the second party in the new parliament with the most seats, overtaking the position that had been occupied by the coalition A Partnership for  National Unity (APNU).

Over the weekend, President Irfaan Ali described as “absolutely ridiculous” suggestions in some quarters that his government has not been calling sittings of the National Assembly to avoid the election of Mohamed as the main opposition leader.

“Absolutely ridiculous! The opposition can elect whoever they want as Opposition Leader so it’s absolutely ridiculous. That’s their business. We have no business in the opposition electing whoever they want as Leader of the Opposition,” he told reporters.

Following the September 1, 2025 general and regional elections, the National Assembly was called only once – November 3, 2025, and the Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, has so far not called the constitutionally required meeting of the 29 opposition parliamentarians to elect, most likely, Mohamed as Opposition Leader.

“I think it’s incredibly important that you have a functioning parliament in any democracy and in order to have that, you do need a Leader of the Opposition. It just makes things work properly,” Theriot told reporters following an event at Banks DIH on Sunday.

The US diplomat said steps should be taken to have the opposition leader in place at the earliest opportunity, adding ”I do think it’s very important for Guyana, as soon as possible, to elect a Leader of the Opposition”.

Mohamed, along with his  billionaire businessman father, Nazar “Shell” Mohamed,  are challenging their extradition to the United State where on October 30, 2025, Washington had requested the extradition of the 76 year-old businessman and his 38-year -old son after they were accused of multiple charges including wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, conspiracy, aiding and abetting, and customs-related violations connected to an alleged US$50 million gold export and tax evasion scheme.

Their extradition committal hearing is slated to resume on February 5, 2026.

Theriot was quick to reiterate that the US would be unable to engage Mohamed politically on certain matters.

“Like I’ve said before, it complicates matters. It’s not the easiest thing in the world to deal with but what’s most important is that your democracy functions and I think in order for Parliament to do that and to represent the will of the people, who elected this person or who chose this person to have a significant number of seats or chose his party, that they need to move forward with the election.

“It doesn’t impact on us legally but if he is involved in certain aspects of government that we have to deal with; if it involves anything financial or contractual then that might be a slight problem for us and we would just have to ask that someone else work on that issue so for us we can work around it,” she said.

The US diplomat also noted that the European Union, Canada, and the United Kingdom have all called for the election of the opposition leader.

“I don’t think we can be more clear than that when we say it publicly. It certainly gets to the right ears,” she said when asked whether the diplomatic community has sought to persuade Guyanese authorities that the post of opposition leader should filled. (CMC)

QEH continues to battle surge

Antoinette Connell
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QEH continues to battle surge

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) is still under pressure from a surge in patients, leading to even longer waiting times for those presenting to the Accident & Emergency Department (AED).

Yesterday, in an advisory, QEH communications specialist Shane Sealy said the hospital continued to respond to one of the most significant influenza outbreaks in recent history, alongside ongoing trauma cases and post-holiday complications associated with non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

“While the AED has been able to respond effectively to a recent influx of trauma cases, this has contributed to a build-up of other patients awaiting assessment and treatment, resulting in extended waiting times. Demand for emergency services continues to rise,” Sealy said.

The communications specialist said that while some members of the clinical staff had also been affected during this wave of influenza and had reported sick, the AED teams continued to work around the clock to meet the increased demand and to ensure that patients received care based on clinical urgency.

“We urge the public to please pay attention to the official updates from the QEH on the current situation in the Accident & Emergency Department as we manage this sustained and increased demand for emergency care,” Sealy said.

Life-threatening and critical conditions will continue to receive immediate care in accordance with the AED triage system, while patients with less urgent conditions should expect longer waiting times.

Sealy advised those who were feeling unwell and unsure whether to attend the AED to contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS/ Help Desk) at 536-4800, available via regular or WhatsApp calls, as it continued efforts to extend the hours of the service. It is at that point the team will conduct an initial assessment and advise on the most appropriate next steps for care.

The QEH is “strongly” advising members of the public with non-emergency concerns to seek care at the 24-hour clinic at Winston Scott Polyclinic (Jemmotts Lane, St Michael) or from a private physician. Meanwhile those visiting the QEH “are strongly encouraged to wear a mask”, particularly in clinical areas, to help protect patients, visitors and staff during the current influenza outbreak.

On January 3 the hospital initially issued a statement advising patients to seek care elsewhere after the institution went on temporary lockdown while attending to several people connected to a mass shooting, in what police described as a planned gang ambush in The City, during which ten people were injured. (AC/PR)

Economist unsure of response to new US tax

Shawn Cumberbatch
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Economist unsure of response to new US tax

Uncertainty surrounds how much money Barbadians in the United States will send home to their families now that the Donald Trump administration has introduced a one per cent tax on remittances leaving that country.

The tax took effect on January 1 and is to be enforced when customers make their transfers with cash, money orders, and cashier’s cheques, meaning that all digital remittances are tax free.

Economist and financial analyst Jeremy Stephen was unsure if the new tax would cause US-based Bajans to reduce their financial support to loved ones here, but he noted that it would not be easy for everyone to do so electronically.

He suggested that the tax was more ideological than economic and could be intended to punish the export of US dollars, potentially reducing the spending power of recipient countries as part of an effort to redirect “any and every investment towards American industry that is physically in the US”.

‘More ideological’

“The fact is that the majority of US dollars that’s invested or sent overseas always makes its way back into American products, services and capital markets. So the one per cent is a little more ideological than it is economical, especially when it pertains to small open economies like ours,” Stephen said.

He also noted that Barbados’ economy did not rely on remittances when compared with other countries, including some larger Caribbean nations.

This assessment was backed up by information from the Central Bank of Barbados.

The country’s monetary authority shared data showing that total remittances into the island reached an estimated $94.2 million in 2025.

This followed $111.1 million in 2021, $97.4 million in 2022, $90.1 million in 2023 and $93.9 million in 2024.

Remittances leaving Barbados in that period were $45.9 million (2021), $47.5 million (2022), $50.3 million (2023), $58.4 million (2024), and an estimated $61.6 million in 2025. Remittances to and from the US were included in these figures.

Meanwhile, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), in its new report Remittances To Latin America And The Caribbean In 2025: Adaptations In A Context Of Uncertainty, concluded that the one per cent tax “probably will not have a significant direct impact on remittance flows”.

IDB experts suggested that “once the tax takes effect, what could happen is a reduction in observed flows by official agencies compiling statistics, if families choose to send remittances through channels outside government oversight”.

This included remittances being “sent via informal means, such as giving cash to friends travelling to the country of origin, in ways that prevent these flows from being captured by current statistical systems and keep them invisible to monetary authorities”.

The IDB study, which estimated that overall remittances into the Caribbean would be $41.6 billion last year, did not include information on Barbados.

“Barbados and The Bahamas also receive remittances, but they are not statistically significant, so the authorities of those countries do not publish this data, and for this reason, they are not included in this document,” the report stated.

Dominican Republic major recipient

The IDB estimated that most of the money sent from the Caribbean diaspora last year was destined for the Dominican Republic ($23.8 billion), Haiti ($9.8 billion), Jamaica ($7.2 billion), Guyana ($3 billion) and Trinidad and Tobago ($722 million).

American money transfer company Western Union, which facilitates remittance payments to and from Barbados, did not say how it expected the one per cent tax to impact transfers from the US to the island.

When contacted, Carolina Sottocorno, Western Union’s communications manager for Latin America and the Caribbean, said that “at this time, we decline to comment”.

However, the company has been sensitising clients about the potential impact of the tax, informing them that if, for example, they send $1 000 abroad and pay with cash at a retail location “you would owe an extra $10 in tax on top of your normal fees”.

“The good news is that many common payment methods are exempt from this additional one per cent tax. Customers who pay with any of the following will not be charged the new tax: debit or credit cards, bank accounts, digital wallets, [or] prepaid cards,” Western Union explained.

Stephen said that with these cash payments now targeted by US authorities, it was important for digital transactions to be made more inclusive to both senders in the US and recipients in Barbados.

The IDB report, which noted that 50.4 per cent of remittances to the Caribbean came from the US, argued that “remittances might even increase following the implementation of the tax, to cover any costs it might impose on receiving families”.

A bigger concern researchers saw for recipients in Barbados and elsewhere was if the US continued to crack down on migrants, making it “likely that growth in remittance flows will continue to slow in the coming years”. (SC)

Maloney finishes down the pack in Mexico E-Prix

Nationnews Desk
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Maloney finishes down the pack in Mexico E-Prix

 Barbadian driver Zane Maloney did not enjoy the best of starts in his first outing of the year, finishing 16th at the 2026 Hankook Mexico City E-Prix in Round Two of the FIA ABB Formula E World Championship here on Saturday.

Maloney, representing Lola Yamaha’s ABT Formula E team, began the race in 14th position and actually had a great start, moving up two places through the tight and narrow Turn One. However, his early progress was halted one lap later when race leader Sebastien Buemi, recovering from a mistake on the opening lap, forced his way past and dropped Maloney back to 14th.

By lap seven Maloney had slipped to 17th position, but responded immediately to move up three places, before eventually overtaking Joel Eriksson to 13th.

While he was never in contention for victory, Maloney actually broke into the top 10 on lap 25 following a collision between Dan Ticktum and Antonio Felix da Costa.

That was short lived though, and Maloney ultimately crossed the chequered flag in 16th place.

Maloney will now set his sights on Round Three of the championship at the Miami E-Prix. (CMC)

Fogging Schedule: January 12 to 16

Nationnews Desk
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Fogging Schedule: January 12 to 16

The Ministry of Health and Wellness’ weekly fogging programme will resume from next week in three parishes – Christ Church, St. John and St. Michael.

The team from the Vector Control Unit will focus on Christ Church on Monday, January 12, when they visit Lower Greys Tenantry, Scenic Drive, Valley Vista 1st to 5th Avenues, Boarded Hall Tenantry 1st to 3rd Avenues, Frere Pilgrim, Homestead Drive with avenues, Homestead Circle, and Joypa Drive with avenues.

They will target areas in St. John from Tuesday, January 13 to Thursday, January 15. On Tuesday, the Unit will spray Ashbury Tenantry Road, Lemon Arbour Village, Knights Village, Lower Four Roads, Spooners, Pool Land Nos.1 and 2 and environs.

It will be the turn of 1st Avenue Redland Tenantry, Redland Tenantry, Bailey Alley, Sweet Vale, Brathwaite Road, Butcher Road, Sweet Bottom, Groves, Claybury, Golden Ridge Village and surrounding districts on Wednesday.

The team will fog Eastmont Road, Cheshire, Small Hope Tenantry No.1, and Gall Hill Nos.1 and 2 on Thursday, January 15.

The fogging exercise for the week will conclude in St. Michael on Friday, January 16, when the Unit goes into Perry Gap, Country Road, Tamarind Avenue, Laundry Road, Fordes Road, Skeetes Road, Pavilion Road, Downey Avenue, Progressive Road, Holligan Road, Fields Gap, Country Towers and neighbouring communities.

Fogging takes place from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily. Householders are reminded to open their windows and doors to allow the spray to enter. Children should not be allowed to play in the spray.

Members of the public are advised that the completion of scheduled fogging activities may be affected by events beyond the Unit’s control. In such circumstances, the Unit will return to communities affected in the soonest possible time.

Thousands march and dozens arrested in Minneapolis protests against ICE

Nationnews Desk
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Thousands march and dozens arrested in Minneapolis protests against ICE

Thousands of people joined another night of protests in Minneapolis on Saturday, following the death of a woman who was shot by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in the city.

Earlier, city officials said 30 people had been arrested during the weekend’s protests, and one police officer was injured after a “chunk of ice was thrown at them”.

Protests against immigration enforcement have been held across the US after 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was shot in her car on Wednesday.

The Trump administration said the agent who fired the shots acted in self-defence. Local officials have insisted the woman posed no danger.

People gathered in Minneapolis on Saturday night despite bitterly cold weather, while anti-ICE protests also took place elsewhere in the US, including in Austin, Seattle, New York and Los Angeles.

The city of Minneapolis said on Saturday that the “vast majority of community members have demonstrated peacefully”.

On Friday night, Minneapolis Police declared an unlawful assembly as protesters gathered outside the Canopy Hotel in the city, where some ICE agents were believed to be staying.

The Minneapolis police department said in a statement that “several hundred people” attended and “some individuals forced entry into the hotel through an alley entrance”.

Videos posted online showed protesters flashing bright lights into the area, blowing whistles and banging on drums.

Police said some threw ice, snow and rocks at officers, police vehicles and other vehicles, but no serious injuries were reported.

One law enforcement officer suffered minor injuries but did not need any medical attention, according to the BBC’s US partner CBS News.

Officials said another hotel in the city was also targeted and had window and graffiti damage.

At a news conference on Saturday, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey applauded the majority of protesters who he said have been peaceful, but noted that individuals who cause damage to property or put others in harm’s way would be arrested.

Those arrested on Friday night were later released, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said.

Many Minnesotans have been frustrated by the presence of ICE in the state and O’Hara said his department was getting dozens of phone calls every day about the federal agency’s operations.

On Saturday, three congresswomen from Minnesota also attempted to tour an ICE facility in Minneapolis. The women said they were initially allowed to enter, but were then told they had to leave.

Democratic Congresswomen Ilhan Omar, Kelly Morrison and Angie Craig said ICE and the Department of Homeland Security were obstructing members of Congress from fulfilling their duty to oversee operations there.

“They do not care that they are violating federal law,” Craig said.

“The public deserves to know what is taking place in ICE facilities,” Omar posted on X.

Good was shot and killed in her car on Wednesday.

Videos of the incident show ICE agents approaching a car which is in the middle of the street, and telling the woman behind the wheel to get out of the SUV. One of the agents tugs at the driver’s side door handle.

As the vehicle attempts to drive off, one of the agents at the front of the car points their gun at the driver and several shots are heard.

The car then continues to drive away from the officer and crashes into the side of the street.

Good’s wife told local media the pair had gone to the scene of immigration enforcement activity to support neighbours.

The officer who fired on Good is Jonathan Ross, a veteran ICE agent who was previously injured in the line of duty when he was struck by a car.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has claimed the ICE agent shot Good multiple times because she was trying to run over the officer in her car.

But Democratic Minneapolis Mayor Frey called that version of events a false narrative, saying it was clear to him she was trying to leave the scene, not attack an agent.

The FBI is investigating the incident.

On Friday, Minnesota officials said they would open an inquiry into the shooting after saying they had been frozen out of the federal investigation.

The announcement came a day after the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said the FBI had initially pledged a joint investigation, then reversed course. The US vice-president said the investigation was a federal issue. (BBC News)

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