分类： health

The primary public healthcare facility of Antigua and Barbuda, the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre (SLBMC), has announced the return of a familiar medical professional to its frontline critical care team: Dr. Lynda Ozuomba, who rejoins the institution as a fully qualified emergency medicine consultant following the successful completion of rigorous advanced specialist training.

Dr. Ozuomba is no stranger to SLBMC, having previously served as a core member of the hospital’s emergency medicine department before stepping away to pursue her advanced medical qualification. In an official public statement, the hospital confirmed that she recently earned her Doctor of Medicine (DM) degree in Emergency Medicine, a milestone that deepens her specialized skill set in handling time-sensitive, life-threatening medical conditions.

Leadership at SLBMC shared enthusiastic remarks about Dr. Ozuomba’s homecoming, emphasizing the unique value her updated expertise will bring to the facility’s 24/7 emergency care operations. “We’re elated to have her back with the Emergency team and look forward to the difference that her expertise will bring to assist with enhancing patient care,” the hospital’s statement read.

For her part, Dr. Ozuomba has reaffirmed her commitment to lifting the standard of emergency medical services across the dual-island nation. “I am passionate about emergency medicine and dedicated to contributing to emergency medicine care in Antigua and Barbuda,” she shared, signaling her focus on delivering high-quality, accessible critical care to local communities.

SLBMC’s emergency department functions around the clock, 365 days a year, catering to thousands of patients annually who present with severe acute illnesses, traumatic injuries, and other urgent medical events that require immediate intervention. Dr. Ozuomba’s return fills a gap in specialized capacity and strengthens the department’s ability to meet growing demand for high-standard emergency care across Antigua and Barbuda, reinforcing the hospital’s core mission of delivering critical health services to all residents.

The Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda has given formal approval to a draft National Strategic Plan for Health spanning the six-year period from 2026 to 2031, establishing a cohesive governing framework to streamline health service coordination across the twin-island nation and advance the long-planned development of a national health insurance system.

Maurice Merchant, the country’s Director General of Communications, outlined key details of the landmark policy during a press briefing held immediately after Friday’s Cabinet meeting. He explained that the draft plan is structured around 11 distinct strategic priorities, all designed to reinforce the country’s existing health care delivery model, expand equitable access to high-quality medical services, and drive measurable improvements in population health outcomes for all residents.

Merchant emphasized that the strategy was not developed in isolation. Its foundations were laid by a comprehensive evaluation of Antigua and Barbuda’s core public health functions, carried out in 2023 by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), a leading regional public health body. That evaluation process included extensive consultative engagement with a wide range of cross-sector stakeholders, from health care providers and community groups to government agencies, which allowed planners to pinpoint the most pressing gaps and priorities for upgrading the national public health system.

When pressed to explain the tangible benefits the plan will deliver to ordinary Antiguans and Barbudans, and how it will go beyond the services currently available to the public, Merchant highlighted two core improvements: more integrated cross-agency coordination of health care, and a clear pathway to the eventual rollout of national health insurance. “It provides a more coordinated program of health service to Antiguans and Barbudans, and it also provides a stepping stone towards the national health insurance policy,” Merchant stated, adding that all related initiatives will be aligned under a unified national policy to standardize and guide health service delivery across the country.

Notably, the briefing did not include granular details of the plan: Merchant declined to outline the content of the 11 individual strategic directions, nor did he identify specific new treatments, upgraded medical facilities, or additional services that will be made accessible under the new framework. No information was provided during the briefing on the total implementation cost of the plan, the sources of funding for the initiative, or a concrete timeline for the rollout of national health insurance. According to Merchant, full additional details of the strategy will be published in the official written Cabinet notes in due course.

Jamaica is facing a critical gap in the continuum of HIV care, according to a warning from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Jamaica, which is pushing for immediate intervention to connect more than 13,000 people living with the virus to formally documented treatment.

Latest national epidemiological data compiled in December 2025 puts the total estimated number of people living with HIV across Jamaica at 28,000. Of that group, around 26,500 individuals – 95% of the total estimated population – have already received an HIV diagnosis. However, only 14,716 patients, accounting for just 53% of all people estimated to be living with HIV in the country, are officially recorded as accessing ongoing treatment.

Sannia Sutherland, country programme manager for AHF Jamaica, emphasized that receiving a diagnosis should not be considered the end of the care journey. “With only half of Jamaicans living with HIV on treatment, too many are being left behind,” Sutherland stated. “We have a duty to strengthen every step between diagnosis and treatment, so that everyone diagnosed is brought into care and supported to stay there.”

AHF Jamaica clarified that the gap in documented care does not automatically mean that all patients not captured in official records have stopped taking their antiretroviral medication. Some cases involve patients who have transferred care between different healthcare facilities, while others have continued their treatment regimens without their updated information being added to the national central database.

To close this gap, the organization has put forward two key policy and practice recommendations. First, it is calling for a comprehensive national patient reconciliation audit, which would cross-reference existing treatment records with dispensing data held by the National Health Fund across both public and private healthcare facilities across the country. This matching process would help resolve discrepancies and account for patients who are already receiving treatment but not counted in official statistics, while also identifying those who have fallen out of care entirely.

Second, AHF Jamaica is pushing for targeted support for clinics that see disproportionately high rates of patient disengagement from care. It also recommends that healthcare teams proactively reach out in a timely manner to patients who miss scheduled appointments or stop coming in for treatment, to reconnect them to care rather than writing them off.

The organization did acknowledge the progress that Jamaican government bodies have made in recent years to expand HIV prevention and treatment access, including the planned rollout of long-acting injectable HIV treatment, a new option that offers greater convenience for many patients. Even so, AHF Jamaica stressed that these new treatment options will only deliver limited public health benefits if systemic gaps in connecting and retaining patients in care are not addressed first.

AHF Jamaica is joining forces with the Civil Society Forum to pressure government agencies, healthcare providers, and local community organizations to work together to reach the thousands of patients who are currently missing from documented care. The Civil Society Forum has scheduled a meeting this Friday to move forward with this appeal and outline next steps for collective action.

Antigua and Barbuda’s flagship public healthcare facility, Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre, has announced the return of two locally experienced specialist physicians, who have completed rigorous advanced medical training overseas to expand their clinical expertise. The reintroduction of these doctors marks a significant upgrade to the hospital’s core Internal Medicine and Emergency Medicine departments, two service lines critical to meeting the population’s ongoing healthcare needs.

Dr. Akweta Alexander, who previously held a clinical role at the medical centre, has come back as a consultant internist after earning her Doctor of Medicine (DM) degree specialized in Internal Medicine. For Dr. Alexander, the path to this advanced qualification began long before her formal postgraduate training. She developed a deep-seated passion for medical work from childhood, a commitment that grew stronger during her 2015 to 2016 internship at the facility. It was during this early clinical experience that she cultivated her focused interest in Internal Medicine, a specialty that addresses a wide range of chronic and acute adult health conditions.

Speaking about her return, Dr. Alexander shared her excitement to rejoin the hospital’s clinical team. Beyond delivering comprehensive, personalized care to her patients, she also highlighted her commitment to mentoring the next generation of medical professionals training at the facility.

The second returning specialist, Dr. Su-Jay Gore, has rejoined the institution as a consultant in Emergency Medicine, also following the successful completion of a DM degree in his specialty. Like Dr. Alexander, Dr. Gore previously practiced at Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre, and he framed his return as a homecoming focused on continued service to the people of Antigua and Barbuda.

“I am delighted to return home and continue serving the people of Antigua and Barbuda,” Dr. Gore said. He added that he is eager to collaborate with his fellow clinical and administrative staff to strengthen the hospital’s emergency care infrastructure, with the goal of delivering timely, compassionate, and high-quality care to every patient and their family members during high-stress medical events.

Hospital leadership officially welcomed both physicians in separate public statements, expressing strong confidence that the advanced knowledge and new clinical skills the pair bring will directly drive measurable improvements in both patient outcomes and overall service delivery at the facility. As the country’s leading public hospital, the addition of these two specialized consultants fills key gaps in high-demand care areas, strengthening the national public health system’s capacity to serve local communities for years to come.

St. Paul’s residents are gearing up for a no-cost Community Health Screening Day, a key highlight of the area’s 2026 Health Month campaign, that will bring critical preventive care directly to the local community. Scheduled for Sunday, October 18, the event will run from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on the outdoor deck of the St. Paul’s Empowerment Center, and is open to every member of the community regardless of background or insurance status.

Organized by Honorable E.P. Chet Greene as part of the ongoing “Know Your Numbers. Own Your Health.” Health Month initiative, the one-day clinic will offer a comprehensive menu of preventive screening services. Attendees can access free testing for blood pressure and blood glucose, along with eye examinations, prostate cancer screenings, and breast health checks. All screenings will be administered by licensed healthcare professionals, who will also deliver personalized, practical health guidance to attendees based on their results.

As an added incentive to encourage early preventive care participation, event organizers are giving away free dual blood pressure and blood glucose monitors to the first 100 people who register to receive one. The giveaway is limited to one monitor per household to ensure as many local families as possible can benefit from the offer.

Organizers strongly encourage advance registration for all attendees, particularly those hoping to claim a free monitor or reserve a slot for a specific screening service. Registration is open now, with two convenient options available for local residents: people can sign up online through the official portal at https://epchetgreene.ag/form-h-004/, or register in person during business hours at the St. Paul’s Constituency Office located inside the St. Paul’s Empowerment Center. The registration form lets each participant select the specific screening services they wish to access and note whether they are requesting a free monitor.

The “Know Your Numbers. Own Your Health.” campaign was designed to empower local residents to take control of their long-term wellness by prioritizing early detection of common chronic conditions and health risks. The initiative encourages small, consistent daily steps that build stronger health awareness and support sustained household wellness for families across St. Paul’s.

For media representatives with questions about the event, enquiries can be directed to the Office of Honorable E.P. Chet Greene via the official website at https://epchetgreene.ag/.