Minister of Health, Donville Inniss, addressing the start of the Ninth Annual Professor E. R. Walrond Scientific Symposium in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Auditorium.??
Cabinet has approved the appointment of Professor E.R. Walrond to the Medical Council.
This was revealed today by Minister of Health, Donville Inniss as he addressed the start of the Ninth Annual Professor E. R. Walrond Scientific Symposium in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Auditorium.??
Mr. Inniss acknowledged that the Professor’s new appointment would provide "strong and decisive leadership to the regulation and management of doctors in Barbados".
He added: "His return to the Medical Council at this time is instructive, as we will be introducing a new Medical Registration Act to improve upon the registration, training and discipline of the medical fraternity. Included in this proposed Bill will be requirements for continuing education, new disciplinary measures, an improved assessment regime and much needed legislation for a specialist register."
While expressing his satisfaction that the Bill, which had been in existence for four years, had received wide consultation, Mr. Inniss noted: "It is time to get it to Parliament for a robust debate and to get it implemented."
The annual symposium was also described by the Health Minister as "a fitting testimony and tribute to the distinguished and eminent career" of Professor Walrond, who had achieved wide acclaim in the field of medicine as a surgeon, researcher, teacher and mentor.
The main focus of the lecture series each year is to stimulate and encourage a variety of health care professionals to present original research papers on diverse subject areas.
While stating that, in time, the symposium would be internationally recognised as the launching pad for some of the world’s most brilliant medical researchers, the Health Minister pointed out: "Future generations of Barbadians and other persons using healthcare services here and within the Caribbean will attain tremendous benefit from your research endeavours. I dare say that from a medical standpoint the future of Barbados looks bright and promising."
And, he acknowledged the research capacity of the Chronic Disease Research Centre (CDRC), under the aegis of the University of the West Indies, noting that it had completed significant research relative to the Barbados Eye Study, Barbados National Cancer Study and the Wound Healing Study in Diabetes.
Using CDRC’s success story as an example, Mr. Inniss told those gathered: "Original research, interesting case studies or clinical data you have analysed could be the basis of some ground-breaking research that would evolve over the next decade or even earlier.?? I need to underscore the need for more persons to get involved in research activity, particularly at the primary care level, because of its intrinsic importance to the society in which we live."