NOVEMBER 23, 2014
SUNDAY SUN SPECIAL. 3.
SINCE OPENING in 1964, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital has expanded its bed capacity from 464 beds to the current 600 beds and can perform most surgeries, and specialised care. THE QUEEN ELIZABETH HOSPITAL (QEH), situated at Martindale’s Road, St Michael, opened its doors on November 14, 1964, to address the medical, surgical, clinical and treatment needs of Barbados and the Caribbean and to serve as a teaching hospital for those seeking a career in the medical profession. It is Barbados’ primary acute care medical facility and is an accredited teaching hospital affiliated with the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus. Since its inception, the hospital has expanded its bed capacity from 464 beds to the current 600 beds and can perform most surgeries, and specialised care in the areas of gynaecology, paediatrics, obstetrics, cardiac surgery, psychotherapy, radiology, radiography and ophthalmology – among others. The hub of the QEH can be considered the Accident and Emergency Department, formerly known as the QEH Casualty, which in 1990 was transformed into the new Accident and Emergency Department. This department which was pioneered by Dr Irvine Brancker and Dr Van Tyne, opened with a team of initially 12 junior doctors and two consultants. Today there are over 20 doctors. As the busiest department in the QEH, doctors there attend to approximately 45 000 patients each
year. Operational plans for the QEH continue to focus on strengthening the delivery of quality health care with strategic direction guided by the 10-year plan for Health and the QEH Care Excellence Programme (CEP). The hospital’s vision statement is to be an accredited healthcare institution by embracing a culture of innovation, technology advancement and continuous improvement through research training and
education. Its mission statement is to be a high quality provider of safe, compassionate patient centred care delivered by a team of well trained and dedicated healthcare workers, while its motto is Irrupta tenet copula, which means “An unbroken chain unites us.” Among the hospital’s goals are: To be a centre of excellence for Continued on next page.