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www.caribbeantimesinternational.com | WEEK ENDING June 26, 2014
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INGSTON, JAMAICA: The prayers of eight people in Jamaica, youngsters 10-18, who suffer from scoliosis, have been answered. Glendon Whyte, Shantika Genas, Shanice Campbell, Zidane Salmon, Natalia Bernard, Anika Kelly, Davian Dennis, and Shana Kay Woolerly will benefit from the Scotia Foundation's Scoliosis and Spine Care Programme that will provide corrective surgery with the use of metal rods attached to the spine by screws, hooks and in some cases wires to hold the spine in place. Scoliosis is a condition that causes the spine to curve into an 's' shape extremely to the right or left. It is said to cause pain and can result in respiratory complications. If left untreated, it can lead to paralysis as well as emotional and psychological challenges. The cost of surgery amounts to almost US$600 per
(Back row, from left) Joylene Griffiths Irving of the Scotia Foundation; Dr Ian Neil, head of orthopaedics at Kingston Public Hospital; and Athol Hamilton, managing director of Medical Technologies with the eight beneficiaries for 2014 under the Scotia Foundation Scoliosis and Spine Care Programme (Karl McLarty photo)
person and can last for six to 12 hours. One of the recipients, Woolerly, was diagnosed with a 50 percent right thoracic curvature of the spine—a severe case of scoliosis. Her back was twisted and she had a dragged walking caused by one leg being longer than the other. Today, she is relieved to know that corrective surgery— which involves the fusing of the vertebra in her
spine—will be made possible with the help of the foundation's programme. Speaking at a ceremony last Thursday to announce the 2014 beneficiaries, Beulah Stevens, chief executive officer of Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) where the surgeries will take place, encouraged the beneficiaries to be of good cheer. Dr Ian Neil, head of orthopaedics at KPH and the man who will spear-
head the operations, assured the beneficiaries that he will rectify their condition. "I need my scoliosis children to get the care and attention we certainly give you at KPH; I want you to get better. It's going to be a very interesting road for you because it starts with pain and it ends with joy," Neil said.
Technology
He added that the
TT companies win Microsoft Partner awards
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RIDGETOWN, BARBADOS: Barbados may be one of the smaller islands in the Caribbean, but it is making a big impact on the global stage as an environmentally conscious and energy efficient nation. Currently Barbados is ranked fourth in the world in solar water heater penetration per 1,000 inhabitants and it is expected that by 2020 the island will be among the top five countries in solar photovoltaic penetration/solar energy usage per capita. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), on its Web site, said Barbados is also the first country in the world in diversion of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic from the landfill—it recycles 80 percent of the total PET. It is against this backdrop that Bridgetown, Barbados became the centre of global celebrations for World Environment Day celebrations recently as the country hosted the annual UNEP festivities.
Green initiatives
Prime Minister Freundel J Stuart QC, speaking with TT media during the celebrations last week, said his country has always taken the preservation of the environment “very serious.”
technology now available to do the surgeries allow patients to resume their normal lives in a short time span. "Patients don't need a brace, and repeat surgery is very unusual and uncommon. The kind of correction that is achieved by the implants we use, cause them to be able to go back to school and work in a very short time," Neil said. Kordel Clarke, a
Scotia Foundation scholar, has a degree in actuarial Science. She did two surgeries to correct her spine and last Thursday she encouraged the beneficiaries to cheer up as better days are ahead. "Years ago, in 2006, I was in the same position as many of you who I'm seeing here. I used to have that curvature and I used to be just like you and I used to go through the same teasing…being called 'leanie' and imitated and laughed at, but I just want to reassure you that you will get over it and you will be a better person for it," Clarke said. She added that, like them, she was worried but after the surgery she bounced back and managed to become successful in life. The Scotia Foundation has been covering the cost of scoliosis surgeries in Jamaica since September 2006. (Excerpted from Jamaica Observer)
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An employee of B's Recycling Centre, St Thomas, Barbados separating glass bottles for recycling (Reshma Ragoonath/TT Guardian photo)
He credited citizens with the success of Barbados’s “green” initiatives. “I cannot complain about the response that we have been getting from householders and from businesses. We have passed a new Electric Light and Power act to modernise that area of our legislative experience and framework. If we continue on that march I do not think there is much to complain about,” Stuart related. He noted that the Barbados government took the approach that if citizens see the public sector engaging in green
initiatives then they too would be encouraged to do the same. Government, he added, is implementing its own budgetary incentives and legislative changes to attract more people to the cause. Solar panel water heaters can be seen on the roof of almost every home in the residential areas in Bridgetown and various parishes, which Stuart said is a testament to the population’s commitment to the environment.
Climate change
Stuart said the country has been taking green initiatives in the
area of energy and the construction sector. Barbados has also constructed boardwalks, such as the Richard Hastings boardwalk, as part of its shoreline restoration initiatives. The government is also encouraging private-sector businesses to invest in recycling plants and planning to build a green technology park. “We cannot ignore the effect of climate change. We are all islands and issues of sea level rise and so on must be of concern to us,” Stuart emphasised. (Excerpted from TT Guardian)
O R T - O F S P A I N , TRINIDAD: Five organisations based in Trinidad and Tobago and the eastern and southern Caribbean were among the winners of the 2014 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards, which celebrates top partners solving customer challenges with creative technology solutions. Local software developer Teleios Systems Limited was named the global as well as LATAM New Markets winner of the YouthSpark Citizenship Partner of the Year Award for its annual Teleios Code Jam programme. The YouthSpark award recognises a partner that creates unique technology or supports an employee engagement programme to serve the needs of youth between six and 24 years old. “Teleios is really very honoured to have been recognised by Microsoft for our Teleios Code Jam programme because it represents the heart of who we are. We have always felt that Trinidad and Tobago and the wider region have the capability to be producers of technology and
not just consumers of technology,” said Kevin Khelawan, chief operating officer, Teleios Systems Limited. Infotech Caribbean Limited was named a Cloud Partner of the Year for the LATAM New Markets, which means they’ve successfully packaged Microsoft cloud and partner solutions solving an end customer’s challenge. Additionally, Davyn Limited, Inova Solutions/Netpro, and Infodom, based in TT, Curacao and Martinique respectively, all won the Country Partner of the Year Award for their ability to grow customers by driving impact and satisfaction. Awards were presented in multiple categories, with winners chosen from a set of more than 2,800 nominations from 117 different countries for the 46 global award opportunities. The local and regional winners and finalists, comprising the 93 country winners in the 46 categories reviewed, will receive their awards at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) that takes place from July 13-17 in Washington, DC. (TT Guardian)