Nurses’ Week 2024 was a definite success, thanks to the hard work of nurses at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) and other medical institutions.  Those from our premier medical facility used the occasion to link up with some members of corporate Barbados.

One company that stepped up to assist was McBride (Caribbean) Limited, which donated $2,000 cash towards the ‘amazing work of the nurses’. Ms. Shaneal Bynoe, Regional Sales & Marketing Manager, Caribbean, in handing over the cheque, praised the work of the nurses adding “this is our way of saying thank you for all that you do.” She added that the company wanted to celebrate nurses because of the critical work they do in taking care of the sick, oftentimes, a thankless job.

Nurse Carolyn Arthur, a Senior Nursing Officer at the QEH, acknowledged the donation, thanking McBride for its generosity. She explained this year’s theme ‘Our Nurses, Our Future, the Economic Power of Care’ was developed because “a healthy society will keep the economy going and lead to economic growth” and supporting nurses will help keep the society healthy. “Nurses are the backbone of any medical institution,” she added.

She further explained that the nurses at the QEH, Psychiatric Hospital and the polyclinics collaborated with the Barbados Nurses Association (BNA) on some of the events that took place during the week.  The aim of the week she said was to get nurses involved and to give back to them for all they do on a daily basis. There was an Open Day when the nurses displayed their skills in a poster competition and also had a Spa Day when they were treated to pedicures and back and neck massages to help them to relax.

One highlight of the week was the Outreach Day, when students from five (5) schools in the areas surrounding the QEH visited and serenaded the nurses and patients from the car park of the hospital. Those who were mobile and could join them in the car park did so, while the others listened and watched from the balconies of the wards upstairs.

Director of Nursing Services at the QEH, Mr. Henderson Pinder who was also present at the presentation thanked the company on behalf of all at the QEH and for the investment in nurses at this time of the 60^th anniversary of the QEH. He urged other corporate entities to do a similar thing in supporting nurses. McBride (Caribbean) Limited, because of the nature of its aerosol manufacturing business, is keenly aware of the health and safety of its staff and the community.  The company recently celebrated World Health Day when they closed the plant and its branch in the Dominican Republic for a staff health day and invited medical professionals to give health talks, perform blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol checks. Others were invited to facilitate yoga and Zumba classes, Mrs. Victoria Cox, a registered dietitian spoke about healthy eating, and Mrs. Pamelia Brereton, President of the Barbados Alzheimer’s Association spoke about dementia and the issues associated with that disease. There was also a fun element to the day with a scavenger hunt, cooking competition, competitive fun races between the ‘houses’ into which the staff had been divided.