Health Minister, John Boyce and 19-year-old Aleah Howell displaying the logo for the David Thompson Health and Social Services Complex during a ceremony to celebrate the complex’s second anniversary today. (C.Pitt/BGIS)

The David Thompson Health and Social Services Complex is performing exceedingly well.

Health Minister John Boyce made this declaration while giving the feature address at a ceremony held at the St. John polyclinic.

While addressing all gathered to celebrate the complex’s second anniversary, the Minister stated that after the closure of the St. John Outpatient Clinic, the Social Services Complex ably took on the role of providing health care services for persons in the catchment area.

“This complex offers the public, enhanced delivery of primary healthcare services to a previously underserved geographically located segment of Barbados. The complex features full wheelchair accessibility to accommodate our disabled patients; a spacious aesthetically pleasing reception, waiting and clinical assessment areas [which] offer patients a welcoming environment and staff a wholesome workspace,” he said.

Additionally, Mr. Boyce revealed that comparisons with the operations of the new David Thompson Health and Social Services Complex and the now closed St. John Outpatient Clinic had shown a 45 per cent increase in attendance for general practice services; a 50 per cent increase in attendance at the family planning clinic and a more than 200 per cent increase in attendance at the antenatal clinic.

According to the Minister, these figures “both demonstrate and justify the need for this new facility and timeliness of its construction”. He then added that the complex is actively playing its part in “shifting the burden” of healthcare from tertiary institutions to the more financially sustainable primary care setting.

Mr. Boyce affirmed that the Ministry of Health remains committed to the delivery of vital healthcare services to all Barbadians.

During the ceremony, 19-year-old Aleah Howell was presented with a token of appreciation for volunteering to design the logo of the complex.  Additionally, network engineer, Adrian Small, gave a short presentation on the complex’s website, which he volunteered to design free of cost.

jamal.weekes@barbados.gov.bb

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