Carib Scope

分类： health

  • Saint Lucia steps up Ebola preparedness measures

    Saint Lucia steps up Ebola preparedness measures

    Even with no immediate risk of Ebola reaching the Eastern Caribbean, the island nation of Saint Lucia has launched a series of proactive measures to reinforce its health infrastructure and border screening protocols, stepping up national readiness for a potential importation of the virus. These preventive steps were officially announced by Health Minister Moses Jn Baptiste during a pre-Cabinet media briefing held on Monday, where he emphasized that preparedness work is already underway across multiple sectors of the country’s health system.

    Among the priority actions is the strengthening of public health procedures at all ports of entry, a core measure to intercept any potential cases entering the country via travel. The government also plans to release regular, transparent public updates through the Office of the Chief Medical Officer to keep residents informed of any developments related to the outbreak.

    Beyond border controls, the Ministry of Health is focused on upskilling frontline healthcare workers through targeted training programs, while also upgrading infection prevention and control standards at all medical facilities across the island. For any suspected Ebola cases detected through enhanced screening, diagnostic testing will be conducted in partnership with the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), and Saint Lucia has confirmed it currently maintains a sufficient stockpile of personal protective equipment for medical teams.

    Minister Baptiste noted that national disease surveillance systems are also being upgraded to catch any unusual cases early. “We are upgrading our surveillance and ensuring that our protocols are firmly in place, doing everything necessary just in case the threat reaches our shores,” he told reporters.

    The proactive push for preparedness comes shortly after the World Health Organization (WHO) designated the ongoing Ebola outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), the highest level of global public health alert. The current outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo ebolavirus strain, originated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and has already spread to neighboring Uganda. While there is currently no confirmed evidence of sustained cross-border transmission beyond these two countries, and the WHO has not classified the event as a pandemic, Baptiste stressed that the PHEIC designation demands serious global attention.

    “While this outbreak poses no immediate threat to the Eastern Caribbean at this time, it is critical that we as a country and a region stay alert and strengthen our defenses,” Baptiste said. “Even if the spread remains contained for now, the virus could potentially move internationally, which requires coordinated preparedness action from all nations.”

    The minister also shared contextual information about the varying risks of different Ebola strains to illustrate the importance of vigilance. Historical Ebola variants such as the Zaire strain carry a fatality rate as high as 90 percent, while the Sudan strain has an average fatality rate of around 50 percent. The currently circulating Bundibugyo strain has a lower but still significant fatality rate of approximately 30 percent, a figure that Baptiste emphasized is no reason for complacency.

    Adding to the urgency, Baptiste pointed out that while licensed vaccines and targeted therapeutics exist for several older Ebola strains, there are currently no specific approved medical countermeasures for the Bundibugyo strain behind the current outbreak.

    Saint Lucia’s preparedness efforts are being coordinated in close collaboration with regional and global health bodies, including CARPHA, the Pan American Health Organization, and the WHO. Currently, the island’s Chief Medical Officer and a senior nurse administrator are in Switzerland attending the annual World Health Assembly, where the Ebola outbreak is a top agenda item. The country anticipates receiving the latest guidance and outbreak intelligence when the delegation returns home to inform further adjustments to national preparedness plans.

  • Focus on promoting healthier lifestyles

    Focus on promoting healthier lifestyles

    Barbados is entering a pivotal era of healthcare transformation, as government leaders push for a nationwide reset that reframes the country’s approach to public health from reactive illness treatment to proactive disease prevention and holistic wellness promotion. The announcement came from Davidson Ishmael, Minister of State in Barbados’ Ministry of Health and Wellness, who delivered the keynote address at the opening of the two-day “Live Stronger, Longer” Blue Wellness Conference hosted by the Diabetes and Hypertension Association of Barbados at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus.

    At the core of Ishmael’s remarks was a stark assessment of the growing public health challenge posed by non-communicable diseases (NCDs) across the island nation. Conditions including hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease continue to disproportionately impact Barbadian communities, placing persistent strain on both families and the national healthcare system. Against this backdrop, Ishmael framed the current moment as a critical window to rethink, redesign, and renew national wellness strategy.

    “While Barbadians are now living longer than ever before, far too many of those added years are marked by poor health and reduced quality of life,” Ishmael told conference attendees. “If we have already made gains in longevity, our next defining goal must be ensuring those extra years are spent in good health, with independence, dignity, and a high standard of well-being.”

    To meet that goal, the Barbadian government is pursuing a deliberate strategic evolution of the national healthcare system. Moving away from a model centered almost exclusively on treating existing illness, the new framework will prioritize active promotion of holistic health across all its dimensions. This shift means transitioning from late, reactive intervention to early proactive action, and expanding the system’s focus beyond disease management to supporting the full physical, mental, and social well-being of all Barbadians.

    Central to this transformation is the development of a comprehensive national wellness policy and accompanying action plan, a project being led by the Ministry of Health and Wellness in partnership with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Ishmael explained that the new policy will integrate the physical, mental, social, and environmental components of health into a single, cohesive, multi-sectoral national framework, breaking down silos that have historically fragmented wellness efforts.

    Ishmael also emphasized that Barbados already holds unique inherent advantages that can support the development of a distinct “Barbadian model of wellness” tailored to the island’s context. Key strengths include the country’s tight-knit sense of community, longstanding spiritual traditions, abundant natural environment, and widespread access to fresh, locally produced food. “We are blessed with sun, sea, rolling green hills, and open public spaces that encourage physical activity and connection to the natural world,” Ishmael noted.

    In addition to these natural and cultural assets, the existing Barbadian healthcare system is already evolving to support the new prevention-focused approach. Ishmael highlighted ongoing efforts to expand access to routine health screenings and scale up early intervention services, as well as investments in strengthening nurse-led care and community outreach programs. These changes are designed to ensure that high-quality care is not only accessible to all Barbadians, but also continuous, supporting long-term wellness management rather than only acute treatment.

  • Wereld Hypertensie Dag: PAHO waarschuwt voor te hoge zoutconsumptie in Amerika

    Wereld Hypertensie Dag: PAHO waarschuwt voor te hoge zoutconsumptie in Amerika

    Across Latin America and the Caribbean, excessive salt intake has emerged as a pressing public health crisis, far exceeding global health guidelines and driving rising rates of life-threatening cardiovascular conditions, regional health authorities have warned.

    The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that healthy adults cap daily sodium intake at 2000 milligrams, equal to roughly one teaspoon or 5 grams of salt, with even lower limits set for children. But current consumption data across the region tells a starkly different story: average daily salt intake ranges from 8 to 12 grams, two to nearly three times the WHO-recommended threshold. In major regional economies including Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, average daily consumption hovers between 9 and 10 grams, while Caribbean nations such as Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago report intake between 8 and 11 grams per day. This consistent overconsumption acts as a major modifiable risk factor for hypertension and cardiovascular disease, the leading causes of death in the region.

    Fabio da Silva Gomes, a food and physical activity advisor for the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), explained that most people drastically underestimate how much salt they consume daily. Contrary to common belief that most excess sodium comes from table salt added during cooking or at meals, approximately 80% of dietary sodium in regional diets is sourced from processed and ultra-processed products, including cured meats, pre-packaged snacks, and breakfast cereals. As consumption of these highly processed products has risen sharply across the region, the need for targeted public policy and consumer protection regulation has grown more urgent.

    One widespread consumer misconception that health officials aim to correct centers on the perceived health differences between popular salt varieties. Whether marketed as sea salt, Himalayan salt, or standard table salt, nearly all commercial salt products are primarily composed of sodium chloride, and carry the same heart health risks when consumed in excess. While some commercially available salt substitutes reduce sodium content and boost potassium, which can offer benefits for heart health, these products are not recommended for pregnant people, children, or individuals living with kidney disease.

    Health officials identify the lobbying and influence of the food processing industry as one of the largest barriers to cutting population-wide salt intake. Food companies frequently seek to delay or weaken mandatory sodium reduction regulations by questioning public health research, pushing for ineffective voluntary industry commitments, and even pursuing legal action to block stricter rules.

    For individual consumers, da Silva Gomes advises prioritizing whole foods over heavily processed alternatives and preparing more meals at home to maintain control over sodium content. “By adjusting recipes and cooking with intentionality, people can protect their own health and that of their families,” he noted.

    Data from early adopters shows that mandatory regulatory measures are the most effective tools for cutting population salt intake. Policies including mandatory maximum sodium limits for processed foods and required front-of-package warning labels for high-salt products have already delivered results. Argentina, Mexico and Colombia have already implemented these warning label systems, which have driven measurable reductions in consumer purchases of high-salt products. Additional effective steps include regulating marketing for high-salt processed foods and limiting access to these products in school settings.

    PAHO supports national governments across the region in advancing healthier food policies, strengthening regulatory frameworks, and boosting public awareness of sodium-related health risks. These efforts align with WHO’s global target of cutting population salt intake by 30% by 2030. PAHO provides member states with practical resources including the PAHO Regional Sodium Reduction Targets, in-person training, and free online courses on regulatory design. The organization also works to accelerate the adoption of front-of-package warning labels to help consumers make informed, healthier choices.

    As part of this year’s World Salt Awareness Week, PAHO is rolling out public education campaigns highlighting the health harms of excess salt and calling for coordinated action across governments, industry, and civil society to protect regional public health. Through this collaborative approach, health leaders aim to cut preventable deaths from hypertension and cardiovascular disease, and build a healthier future for communities across Latin America and the Caribbean.

  • Call for change in approach to fighting NCDs

    Call for change in approach to fighting NCDs

    Barbados President Jeffrey Bostic, a former health minister who led the country’s public health response through the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, has issued an urgent appeal to shift current approaches to the island’s worsening non-communicable disease (NCD) crisis, warning that existing interventions are failing to curb rising rates of conditions including diabetes and hypertension.

    Bostic made the remarks during the opening ceremony of the two-day “Live Stronger, Longer” Blue Wellness Conference, hosted by the Diabetes and Hypertension Association of Barbados at The University of the West Indies. He emphasized that health leaders and policymakers have long focused their messaging on populations already aware of NCD risks, and must redirect their outreach to the communities and individuals who need lifestyle changes most.

    “Right now, our fight against NCDs is like being stuck in a battle where we cannot break through the enemy’s lines,” Bostic said. “That fact alone should signal that our current approach is not working. After years of intervention, case numbers are still climbing – we cannot avoid asking the hard questions about why we have not made more progress.”

    The President argued that Barbados does not need to build a new public health framework from scratch; instead, the country should revitalize the proven community-centered model that forms the foundation of its public health system. He noted that the island’s public health infrastructure was built by frontline workers who engaged directly with communities across every parish and village, and that returning to these grassroots outreach methods is critical to making meaningful gains.

    “We cannot keep preaching to people who already understand the risks of NCDs,” Bostic explained. “We will never move the needle unless we reach into every corner of this country, into every community that has been left behind by current outreach efforts. We do not need to reinvent the wheel here – we just need to go back to the successful community-focused model that has always served Barbados well.”

    Bostic praised the longstanding work of the island’s polyclinics, local medical officers and community nurses, whose on-the-ground work built the country’s modern public health system. While he acknowledged that policy tools such as sugar taxes and mandatory food labeling play an important role in combating NCDs, he argued these measures are incomplete without corresponding action to make healthy lifestyles more accessible and affordable for all Barbadians.

    Pointing to the country’s existing tax on sweetened beverages as an example, Bostic noted that many residents currently see the policy as nothing more than an unfair financial burden, rather than a public health intervention, because there is little tangible support for affordable healthy alternatives. “If the revenue we collect from this tax does not go toward lowering the cost of nutritious foods that we want people to eat, we never connect the policy to its actual public health goal,” he said.

    Bostic framed the rising prevalence of NCDs as a full-blown national crisis, with impacts that stretch far beyond individual patient health. “Even with all our current efforts, case rates keep growing,” he said. “The costs are not just personal – this crisis strains our national health system, erodes family financial stability, and drags down national economic productivity. This is not someone else’s problem to solve; it is a collective challenge that all of us must own and address together.”

    The President also outlined key priority areas where government and health leaders need to ramp up action: stronger school nutrition standards, updated urban planning to create safe public spaces for physical activity, expanded access to free or low-cost NCD screening, and greater availability of affordable medication for at-risk populations. He added that frontline health workers must shift their practice beyond just writing prescriptions, instead taking on more active coaching roles to help patients make incremental sustainable lifestyle changes.

    “Every 10-minute consultation with a patient needs to include more than just a prescription,” Bostic said. “It needs to include a conversation: what small change can you make this week that will leave you healthier next week?”

  • New Ebola outbreak in DR Congo: What we know

    New Ebola outbreak in DR Congo: What we know

    In a high-stakes announcement that has triggered global public health alert, the World Health Organization has designated the spiraling Ebola outbreak in the northeastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), the body’s second-highest global alert level. As of the latest official update from Congolese Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba released Sunday, the outbreak has already been linked to 91 suspected deaths and roughly 350 suspected cases, with a disproportionate impact on working-age adults and women: most infected individuals fall between 20 and 39 years old, and over 60% of all cases are female. Notably, most of these cases remain unconfirmed by laboratory testing, as only a small number of samples have been processed for formal verification to date.

    The epicenter of the current outbreak is the DRC’s Ituri Province, a mineral-rich region bordering Uganda and South Sudan that hosts dense, high-volume cross-border population movement driven by widespread artisanal gold mining. This constant flow of people has raised urgent alarms among regional health bodies: the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has repeatedly warned that the virus carries a severe risk of spreading to neighboring East African nations, a scenario that could exponentially expand the scope of the crisis.

    What makes this outbreak particularly challenging for global health responders is the specific strain of Ebola driving transmission: the Bundibugyo variant, a strain for which no licensed vaccines or targeted antiviral treatments currently exist. Unlike the Zaire strain that caused the largest Ebola outbreaks in recorded history, which can be prevented with existing approved vaccines, Bundibugyo leaves public health teams relying on basic infection control measures: rapid case detection, rigorous contact tracing, and strict adherence to personal protective protocols to slow transmission. This is not the first time the Bundibugyo strain has caused an outbreak; it was previously detected in limited outbreaks in Uganda in 2007 and the DRC in 2012, with historical mortality rates ranging between 30% and 50% of confirmed cases. Over the past half-century, Ebola outbreaks across Africa have claimed more than 15,000 lives total, underscoring the ongoing threat the virus poses to vulnerable, high-mobility frontier regions.

  • WHO worried about ‘scale and speed’ of deadly Ebola outbreak

    WHO worried about ‘scale and speed’ of deadly Ebola outbreak

    KINSHASA, DR Congo – A fast-expanding Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has triggered global alarm, with the World Health Organization (WHO) upgrading the crisis to an international public health emergency amid rising fatalities, limited treatment options, and persistent conflict blocking response efforts. As of Tuesday, Congolese health officials report approximately 131 deaths and 513 total suspected cases, marking a sharp jump from last week’s count of 91 deaths and 350 suspected cases.

    The outbreak, centered in the conflict-battered gold-mining region of northeastern Ituri province bordering Uganda and South Sudan, is driven by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola – a variant for which no approved vaccines or targeted therapies currently exist. Unlike the more common Zaire strain, which has been responsible for the DRC’s deadliest past outbreaks and has authorized vaccines, the Bundibugyo strain previously caused smaller outbreaks in Uganda (2007) and the DRC (2012), with a recorded mortality rate between 30% and 50%.

    Compound the crisis is the fact that the epicenter of the outbreak is a remote region roiled by decades of inter-militia clashes, making it extremely difficult for responders to reach affected communities. Only 30 cases have so far been confirmed through laboratory testing, with the vast majority of counts based on suspected symptomatic cases. The virus has already spread beyond Ituri, with suspected cases detected in North Kivu province’s commercial hub of Butembo – more than 120 miles from the outbreak’s origin – and one confirmed case in Goma, the province’s capital, which is currently controlled by Rwanda-backed M23 rebel forces. Cross-border spread has also been confirmed: Uganda has reported two confirmed cases in its capital Kampala linked to travel from the DRC, including one fatality.

    Local misinformation has also delayed response efforts. Congolese Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba told national television that many residents initially mistook Ebola symptoms for a mystical illness, delaying care-seeking and allowing the virus to spread unchecked. “The deaths we are reporting are all the deaths we have identified in the community, without necessarily saying that they are all linked to Ebola,” Kamba clarified.

    WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the agency’s annual governing body meeting in Geneva on Tuesday that the decision to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) – the second-highest global alert level under international health regulations – was not made casually. “I’m deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic,” he said. The WHO is currently evaluating all candidate vaccines and treatments to identify options that could be deployed to curb the surge of the new strain.

    The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has already designated the outbreak a continental public health emergency, reflecting fears of wider spread across the African continent. Humanitarian groups warn that ongoing conflict between Congolese government forces and armed groups in the region remains one of the biggest barriers to an effective response. “Humanitarian access and coordination between the various stakeholders, particularly the parties to the conflict, could be one of the challenges for the response,” said Francois Moreillon, DR Congo representative for the International Committee of the Red Cross, earlier this week. Moreillon called on all warring parties to guarantee safe, unimpeded access for response teams and aid workers.

    Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi has urged the public to remain calm while adhering to precautionary measures, and has ordered the national government to scale up its response to the crisis. This is the 17th Ebola outbreak the DRC has faced since the virus was first identified in the country in 1976. The Central African nation of more than 100 million people has a long history of Ebola outbreaks, with the deadliest between 2018 and 2020 claiming nearly 2,300 lives from 3,500 confirmed cases.

    The outbreak has already prompted precautionary measures around the globe. Germany announced Tuesday it is preparing to receive and treat a U.S. citizen who contracted the virus while working in the region. The American patient is a doctor with Christian aid organization Serge, which confirmed he was exposed through his work treating infected patients; two other doctors who assisted with care remain asymptomatic. The United States has already implemented entry screenings for air travelers arriving from Ebola-affected regions and temporarily suspended routine visa services in the DRC.

    Ebola, a highly contagious viral hemorrhagic fever first discovered in 1976 and thought to originate in bat populations, spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids. The disease can progress rapidly to severe internal bleeding, organ failure, and death in a large share of cases.

  • WHO evaluates vaccines, treatments for Ebola outbreak

    WHO evaluates vaccines, treatments for Ebola outbreak

    GENEVA, Switzerland – The World Health Organization (WHO) announced Tuesday it is actively evaluating all available experimental vaccines and treatment candidates to counter a rapidly spreading Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which officials warn could stretch on for months or longer. The UN health agency has already formally designated the surge of the highly contagious viral haemorrhagic fever as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, after the virus was linked to 131 suspected deaths and more than 500 confirmed and suspected infections across the affected region.

    Anne Ancia, WHO’s representative to the DRC, told reporters in a briefing connecting from Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, that the global body is working urgently to map out all available candidate medical countermeasures and determine their suitability for deployment in the ongoing response. “At the international level, we are looking at what candidate vaccines or treatment are available and if any could be of use in this outbreak,” Ancia stated.

    WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reinforced the severity of the situation Tuesday, saying he was “deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic” and confirming that he would convene a high-level emergency meeting of the agency’s independent crisis committee later the same day to coordinate the global response.

    A key complication facing response teams is that the current outbreak is driven by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a viral variant for which no pre-approved, widely deployable vaccine or targeted therapeutic treatment currently exists. Over the past 50 years, Ebola outbreaks across Africa have claimed more than 15,000 lives total. The only licensed Ebola vaccines available to date are formulated to target the Zaire strain, which was first identified in 1976. Currently, international public health experts agree that these prequalified Zaire strain vaccines are not approved for use against the current Bundibugyo outbreak, though Ancia noted that further research is ongoing to explore all potential options.

    The WHO’s technical advisory group for outbreak response met Tuesday to outline priority guidelines for evaluating candidate vaccines, to determine which experimental candidates should move forward for accelerated testing and deployment. Among the candidates under review is Ervebo, one of the most advanced existing Ebola vaccine candidates that is being assessed for its ability to deliver additional preventive protection for at-risk communities in the DRC. Even if Ervebo is cleared for use, however, Ancia warned that it would take a minimum of two months to deliver the vaccine to affected areas. This timeline still aligns with the expected trajectory of the outbreak, she noted: “I don’t think that in two months we will be done with this outbreak,” she said, referencing a previous large-scale Ebola outbreak in the region that took two full years to fully contain.

    The current outbreak, formally declared last Friday, marks the 17th recorded Ebola outbreak ever to hit the DRC. Public health officials have repeatedly warned that the outbreak carries a high risk of regional spread, and the 2018–2020 Ebola outbreak in the DRC remains the deadliest in the country’s history, claiming nearly 2,300 lives. To ramp up the on-the-ground response, the WHO has already deployed more than 40 international experts to join Congolese national response teams working in affected areas. The agency has also shipped 12 tonnes of critical emergency supplies, including personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline health workers, from the Congolese capital Kinshasa and Nairobi, Kenya. The WHO is also partnering with global medical and humanitarian organizations, including the medical charity Doctors Without Borders, to construct dedicated Ebola treatment centres and expand local laboratory testing capacity to speed up case detection and isolation.

  • Empress Daniel explores healing with minerals in new book

    Empress Daniel explores healing with minerals in new book

    For over 20 years, renowned wellness advocate and holistic healer Empress Isis Daniel has guided countless individuals in rebuilding their connection to the natural world through herbal remedies, plant-centered diets, and intentional mindful living practices. With the launch of her latest book, *The Ancient Mineral Kingdom*, Daniel expands her life’s work to shine a much-needed spotlight on one of the most underrecognized pillars of human health: dietary minerals.

    Drawn from more than two decades of clinical observation, hands-on client guidance, and independent research, the book came to life after Daniel identified a striking pattern across the many people struggling with chronic illness and bodily imbalance who came to her for support.

    “A huge portion of the common health conditions and chronic ailments people live with today can be traced directly to mineral deficiencies, impaired nutrient absorption, and a widespread lack of awareness about how critical mineral nutrition is for whole-body health,” Daniel explained.

    She points out that modern dietary habits are largely focused on immediate hunger satisfaction rather than deep, cellular-level nourishment that the body needs to thrive. “So often, people eat just to curb hunger or feel full, but they rarely stop to question whether the food they are consuming actually feeds their cells and delivers the essential minerals required for every intracellular structure to work as it should,” she said. It was this widespread gap in public understanding that ultimately pushed her to put her insights into book form.

    *The Ancient Mineral Kingdom* breaks down the role of naturally occurring minerals in supporting the body’s innate ability to stay strong, repair damaged tissue, and maintain internal balance. It walks readers through how to identify common signs of mineral deficiency, embrace whole-food focused nutrition, and access key mineral nutrients through herbal and natural plant sources.

    “The earth stores all the minerals our bodies need to build natural strength, facilitate healing, and sustain balance,” Daniel shared of the book’s core message. “These essential nutrients, sourced directly from the earth, are central to human nourishment and long-term physical vitality.”

    Daniel intentionally designed the work as a practical, accessible guide for everyday readers rather than a dense academic or clinical textbook, with the core goal of helping people reconnection with nature’s original approach to nourishing the body. “The aim here isn’t perfection,” she emphasized. “The goal is reconnection: reconnecting our bodies to the soil that grows our food, and reconnecting nourishment to its original natural source.”

    Opening with a philosophical, ancestral perspective on health, the introduction reminds readers that minerals are far more than a passing modern wellness trend—they are the ancient building blocks of all life on Earth. “Long before nutrition was reduced to counting macronutrients and tracking percentages, our bodies inherently understood the language of the earth,” Daniel writes. “Minerals were never a fad. They were never isolated chemicals stripped from whole food. They were, and still remain, the foundational elements that build structure, enable movement, sustain rhythm, and maintain balance in the human body.”

    Daniel also devotes space to exploring the interconnected relationship between healthy soil, nutrient-dense plants, and human health. “Every single mineral starts in the soil,” she explained. “From the soil it moves into a plant, and from that plant into our bodies. This cycle isn’t a new discovery—it’s as old as life itself.”

    For Daniel, the book is far more than just a basic health guide: it is an invitation for readers to slow down their busy lives, become more intentional about the food they consume, and rediscover holistic wellness rooted in the natural world. As global conversations around holistic health and plant-based natural healing continue to grow in popularity, Daniel hopes her work will encourage readers to rebuild a more intentional relationship with both their food and the planet that provides it, “to remember that true human strength is built from the ground up.”

    Blending accessible wellness education, time-honored natural healing philosophy, and grounded spirituality, *The Ancient Mineral Kingdom* works both as a practical instructional guide and a thoughtful reflection on humanity’s long-forgotten connection to the earth—one essential mineral at a time.

  • NCRHA CITES ‘SUCCESS’

    NCRHA CITES ‘SUCCESS’

    Nine months after taking control of the North Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA), the institution’s new board has released a public statement defending its corrective cost-cutting agenda, while acknowledging it inherited a deeply broken healthcare system riddled with fiscal mismanagement and dangerous operational failures from the prior administration. In a statement issued Saturday, the board outlined the depth of the crisis it inherited, detailing hundreds of millions of dollars in unaccounted spending, unpaid vendor debts, and widespread infrastructure and equipment breakdowns that left patient care severely compromised.\n\nAmong the most damaging findings uncovered by the new board were hundreds of millions of dollars in payments to service providers made without competitive tender or formal contracts: over $124 million paid to a single janitorial firm across two years, and roughly $250 million disbursed to security companies over a decade, all through no-bid arrangements. When the new leadership took office in August 2025, it found more than $350 million in outstanding payments owed to more than 300 suppliers, leading dozens of vendors to suspend critical services. Annual overtime pay topped $98 million with no accountability for productivity or output.\n\nBeyond the fiscal chaos, the board reported systemic operational failures that directly harmed patients across its regional facilities. These included months-long waits for elective surgeries, massive backlogs for diagnostic procedures, extended wait times for CT and MRI scans, and hours-long delays for outpatient clinic appointments. Accident and Emergency departments operated below acceptable safety standards, with broken elevators, non-functional standby generators, failed climate control systems, and out-of-service critical imaging equipment including MRIs, CT scanners and X-ray machines. Many facilities also faced widespread electrical and structural deficiencies that disrupted daily care.\n\nThrough aggressive cost-cutting measures and stricter fiscal oversight, the board says it has now freed up financial capacity to reverse these deficiencies and expand access to care. Planned and implemented improvements include adding Saturday operating sessions, extending weekday operating room hours to 6 p.m., offering overtime for diagnostic imaging staff, adding nursing capacity to speed up patient throughput, and implementing a $75 incentive rate for registered nurses working extra shifts, alongside overtime pay for other frontline clinical staff. The authority has prioritized expanding access to high-priority procedures including cancer surgeries, cardiac operations, and acute stroke care, while working to cut the inherited backlog of delayed and canceled procedures that have disrupted care for thousands of patients and their families.\n\nThe board stressed its commitment to ending unnecessary surgical delays and making wait times reasonable for all patients seeking care, and publicly recognized the sacrifice of nurses who have voluntarily worked extended shifts to maintain care continuity amid staffing shortages. It noted that 50 additional nurses have been interviewed and hired in the past two months to improve staffing ratios and patient experience, and categorically rejected external claims that patient outcomes have worsened under its leadership.\n\nEarly outcome data released by the NCRHA shows measurable progress between January 2026 and April 2026: monthly mortality figures dropped from 275 to 206, surgical volumes have increased, wait times for A&E patients waiting for ward admission have been cut, facility cleanliness and working conditions have improved, and nurse absenteeism fell slightly from 20% to 18%. The board concluded that in just nine months, it has addressed many long-standing systemic issues, restored fiscal stability, and positioned the NCRHA to continue expanding services across the region.\n\nBut the response from the Trinidad and Tobago National Nursing Association (TTNNA) has been sharply critical, with association president Idi Stuart dismissing the NCRHA’s claims as self-serving “worthless words.” Stuart argued that the new board’s nine-month tenure has been marked by constant upheaval and chaos across NCRHA facilities, and renewed the association’s long-standing call for an independent Health Sector Accreditation Council to verify institutional performance claims. For more than 20 to 30 years, the association has pushed for this independent body to conduct unbiased evaluations of public and private healthcare facilities, so the public can have accurate information about actual conditions, rather than relying on self-reported claims from the institutions themselves.\n\nStuart also called out inconsistencies in the NCRHA’s nursing hiring claims, noting the reported number of new hires changes with every press release, and questioned how many nurses have actually been added to facility rosters. He argued that even the 50 new hires cited by the NCRHA is negligible, given the authority currently faces a shortage of more than 400 full-time nursing positions, leaving many facilities operating at only 50% of required staffing levels. Stuart added that a number of the newly hired nurses have already left the NCRHA for better opportunities, worsening the shortfall.\n\nStuart also condemned the board’s reintroduction of the $75 incentive rate for extra nurse shifts, calling the move hypocritical and infuriating for frontline nursing staff. He recalled that the board initially cut the rate from $75 to $60 in 2025, claiming the higher rate was part of a corrupt racket and aligned with a 2023 Chief Personnel Officer memo, before reversing course and reinstating the $75 rate over a month later with no public explanation. Stuart argued the reversal itself confirms the NCRHA’s severe staffing crisis: the only reason the authority needs to offer incentives for extra shifts is that it does not have enough permanent nurses to cover A&E and ward shifts, leading to delays in patient care across the system. He also questioned whether the reinstatement of the $75 rate is permanent or just a temporary fix.\n\nThe current conflict over staffing and pay dates back to late April 2026, when the TTNNA launched an industrial action initiative requiring all nurses to care for no more than six patients per shift, aligned with international safe staffing standards. The action is intended to pressure the government to open negotiations over nursing and midwifery salaries, which have remained frozen at 2013 levels. The safe staffing initiative was launched after NCRHA chairman Dr Tim Goopeesingh accused nursing staff of exploiting the extra-duty pay system, claiming some nurses took home as much as $80,000 in extra pay over a three-month period. Stuart rejected those claims at the time, noting only one nurse had earned that amount, and argued that severe staffing shortages at the NCRHA leave nurses no choice but to work overtime to ensure adequate ward coverage for patients.

  • HIV Commission marks 25 years, seeks new partners

    HIV Commission marks 25 years, seeks new partners

    Twenty-five years after it first began its work supporting public health and HIV outreach, the National Wellbeing and HIV Commission – operating under Barbados’ Ministry of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs – is actively seeking to grow its partner network to advance three core goals: boosting population-wide wellness, driving positive behavioral change, and eroding the persistent stigma that surrounds HIV. The expansion push comes as the agency celebrates its silver anniversary, an occasion marked Sunday with a gathering at the Kingdom Empowerment New Testament Church of God in Cottage Land, St George.

    Acting Director Kim Bobb-Waithe explained that the commission already works closely with civil society groups and trusted local community leaders to connect with vulnerable, high-priority populations that are most affected by HIV. Expanding this collaborative framework, she emphasized, will allow the organization to extend its reach into communities that already have active on-the-ground organizations, aligning the commission’s resources with existing programming to serve more people in need.

    “ we acknowledge that many organizations are already working directly with at-risk groups across the country. We want to partner with them to amplify their existing work and reach the communities they serve every day,” Bobb-Waithe said. “More partners are absolutely critical as we carry out our new expanded wellness mandate, which takes a holistic, whole-person approach to addressing the interconnected public health challenges our society faces.”

    Bobb-Waithe also noted that demand for the commission’s two flagship outreach programs – Man Aware and Sister Speaks – has grown steadily in recent months. These initiatives deliver targeted education on HIV prevention, safe sexual practices, and overall wellness to community groups, and rising public interest signals that local communities are eager for accessible, judgment-free information.

    “As we work to shift harmful behaviors around HIV prevention, we’ve found that bringing accessible education directly to people where they live and gather has opened new doors. More and more communities are reaching out to us to request additional education sessions,” she said. “People are clearly welcoming the guidance and awareness that these programs provide to help them adopt healthier, safer behavioral practices.”

    Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Adrian Forde praised the commission’s 25 years of work, which has improved quality of life for people living with HIV and strengthened Barbados’ national public health response to the virus. Even with decades of progress, however, Forde stressed that significant unaddressed challenges remain, and echoed the call for expanded cross-sector collaboration.

    The commission continues to face persistent headwinds, including partner attrition, widespread HIV fatigue among the public and funding bodies, competing social priorities that pull resources away from HIV outreach, and the ongoing stigma and discrimination that force many people living with HIV to avoid testing and care. Forde noted that while the government remains fully committed to upholding the rights and dignity of all people affected by HIV, it cannot meet the nation’s public health goals on its own.

    “Sustained collaboration across the private sector, civil society organizations, faith-based institutions, local community groups, and individual citizens will always be essential to building healthier, safer, more resilient communities, and to ensuring the people who need the most support get the help they deserve,” Forde added.