BVIslanders targeted for new Peebles Hospital; authority defends management of current facility
BVI News staff - Friday, February 8th, 2013 at 8:35 AM
New Peebles Hospital under construction
Shooting down criticisms about its management of the current Peebles Hospital, the BVI Health Services Authority said it is capable of managing the additional duties expected with the completion of the new hospital.
It also disclosed that BVIslanders on scholarships will be specially targeted for employment.
Health Minister Ronnie Skelton last year said the physical structure of the new multi-million dollar hospital should be completed by August 2013, following numerous delays and a massive budget over-run.
Speaking with reporters yesterday, Chairman of the Health Services Authority John Cline said discussions have been taking place with government; mainly in relation to staffing and funding for the operation of the new hospital.
“We have to make ourselves ready for the transition and for occupancy. So, the discussions have been started. We have been looking for people that will help us through the transition period. We have been looking at staffing needs and staffing models in terms of what the needs would be, needs assessments when we get there, budgeting needs, all those things are being considered,” Cline said.
His views have been shared by Chief Executive Officer of the Authority Darlene Carty Baptiste, who further stated that efforts are being made to have BVIslanders join the expanded staff that will be required.
“We are looking at BVIslanders who received scholarships and are out practicing or participating in other areas to come back and be of resource to us here in the territory.”
Carty Baptiste further stated that, as the Authority finalizes its staffing model for 2013, 2014 and 2015, priority is being placed on areas where there are shortfalls.
“The very first area of priority for us is our ANA. We are looking for specialists in those particular areas; ANA nurses, physician specialist… Another area of priority for us is our dialysis. We are looking at upgrading some of those positions and moving those nursing staff out of that particular area, and getting dialysis technicians to help augment as the services expand – not {to} expand the unit itself, but the services,” She said.
Carty Baptiste also disclosed that the recruitment of staff for the New Peebles Hospital will be done on a phased basis once the facility is turned over to the Health Authority.
Long wait; nature of healthcare
Regarding the issue of management, the Health Authority also said there is no truth to claims that it has not been doing well with the current hospital.
Its Chairman singled out concerns regarding the “long” wait for service, and stated that such phenomenon has been the nature of healthcare in several countries.
“The truth is that we do manage well. I think that healthcare is difficult wherever you go… So, sometimes when you come to Peebles and what seems to be sometimes a difficult or long wait, it’s just the nature of healthcare.
“But we are managing the challenges as we go along, and we are doing everything to make the system better. But I don’t agree with that opinion. I think we are managing the present Peebles very well. Of course our motto is to move towards excellence, and when the new hospital comes we will be quite ready and able to manage it in a very efficient and effective way,” Cline said.
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26 Comments
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I would agree that the hospital does need good management. Dr. Samuel if you did what they said you did, I am very disappointed. You seened to be a person of intergrity, but I guess you are losing this. BVIlanders overseas, please do not come back. You will be treated like dogs when they put all those foreigners over you and you have to teach them.
Here is a suggestion. Why not just ask her? Instead of maligning her name, just ask a question, but that would be too much like right!
Mrs. Carty means well but she cant get involved with Malone and Samuel that has no heart nor love for people. Samuel brought a Man from Barbados to replaced Roy Donovan, who have served this country his country for 26 plus years as paramedic. this a an insult I am a doctor from here and am pist off by such action . And this in not time she is treat BVI Islander like that. we havee no voice in our own country Samuel need to go we voited for this NDP GOVERNMENT to treat our people like that Ronnie you needto do some thing roy must be re installed as head of EMS at people befor Malone and Samuel’s two that is destroying peebles hey cant manage the hospital is is mis manage ubder these people
If she treats her OWN like shyte what do you expect? & the saying is “support your own” right. Bosses COMAND & DEMAND, Leaders ASK & ASSIST. That’s the difference. If you are a music person listen to King Short Short. POWER & AUTHORITY then you will understand the logics of it & it applies.
@What the Fact
If you are a doctor and this is the way you write a narrative to express yourself, I would not want you to write a prescription for me. I really hope that you will not be on staff at the hospital at present or in the future. I don’t understand what John CLINE means when he said that long wait at the hospital is the Nature of Health Care. CLINE is not qualified to be the Head of the Health Authority. This disservice that is done to the people of this country by putting unqualified people in positions because of who they are, HAVE TO STOP. We can’t afford to continue in this lame weak way and expect excellence. PEEBLES Hospital has been staffed with mediocre so called medical doctors for the duration of the hospital. It is time that money be spent to recruit medical personnel that will render high quality health care to the public. It is well known that a Quality Education System, Quality Health Care and sound Environmental Policies, are what attract people to a country. The BVI population, and Business Investments are not growing , and it is because we don’t have what it takes to attract Investors, or people who are just looking for a place to migrate and raise a family. We are losing ti other Caribbean destinations who are less fortunate than the BVI financially, and government officials still have their heads buried in the sand. Wake up.
What qualifies a physiatrist to be Chief of Medical Staff? Problem number 1….. this is unheard of.
You cannot be a doctor here, your spelling and English is terrible. Dr Samuel, Mrs Malone and Ms Baptiste are all doing a great job here.
And as for Roy, you said it…..he has been here for 26 years…maybe he is going to retire? Need new blood in that department!
ha ha. great job? Making a mess is more like it, and Cline doesn’t have a clue. This mess need cleaning up big time. Family and friend business has no place in our hospital
This Peebles mess getting way out of hand. Friend and family have no place in this. Chairman need to go, Diva need to go, and Pops eye need to go. Absolutely no way the bad girls club can run the new hospital.
BVIslanders that have smart jobs elsewhere come back? I do not think so. Come back to government (either NDP or VIP) that is corrupt and cannot get the building built in 8 years? Come back to crappy pay? Come back to an attitude? They would be nuts to move!!
This hospital has been under construction for well over 7+ years; and it probably holds the record for hospital construction time in the region if not worldwide.
Morever, in addition to being well beyond the construction timeline, the construction cost has escalated and the project is alarmingly overbudget. This is what happens when there is no national plan.
Under a legislated national plan, the project would have been effectivey planned, programmed, budgeted designed, constructed, commissioned, staffed, equipped and furnished regardless of whether VIP or NDP or any other party was in power. Instead design changes by successive governments resulted in unusually lengthy construction time and tens(10) of million over budget.
Further, it commendable that the BVIHSA is taking a serious look at staffing, especially wiyh BVIslanders. However, staffing (doctors, nurses, laboratory techs, pharmacists, pharmacy techs, dietitians, xray techs, radiologists …etc) should have been addressed early in planning process. Staffing, given the lengthy time to train some positions, ie, doctors, should have been on the critical path of the project.
Morever, do the students on scholarship meet the core requirements of the hospital, ie, are they being trained to meet the hospital’s needs. This was a great opportunity to invest in local human capital to meet our needs. Now, we have to compete globally to meet our health care needs. There is a shortage of healthcare workers in developed, underdeveloped and emerging countries.
Consequently, we will have to pay what developed countries(US, UK, Canada) are paying to recruit and retain healthcare workers. The BVISA undoubtedly will have to incentivized workers to get them to come and stay in the territory. This will probably drive healthcare cost up given that the BVI is a small market.
Additionally, has the long lead time equipping and furnishing components already addressed? Further, the BVIHSA is heaping positive praise on itself. But what does the important people—the customers —think? Customarily, customer feedback is the best and most reliable measure of how well or poorly a business is doing. Positive customer satisfaction is the goal.
An expensive waste – they should teach those locals manners , the ones at front desk
Well, few people (BVIslanders or otherwise) will have much incentive to come practice their profession for BVIHSA if the salaries offered continue to remain as low as they are, particularly since the BVIs are not cheap.
Although it is a good idea to require those who have scholarships to repay by coming to work for BVIHSA, it also should be considered that recently graduated professionals don’t have a lot of experience, which has some serious limitations in health care. Those who get scholarships and go on to become experienced professionals have less fiscal incentive to come back since they will already be used to wages paid elsewhere.
IMHO, bottom line is that BVIHSA has to place salaries on a par with at least USVI wages (recently published in the newspaper there BTW).
Looks like only cousins and friends get fixed up in that department
THANK YOU
ITS A FAMILY AFFAIR. if john public check from captain to cook down dey is family lmfao
GHETTO DIVA and POPZ EYE needs to go. dey gots dat place fast sinking wid dem foolish decisions. poor darlene aint kno wat she up against. GHETTO DIVA always walking wid ha head down like da friggin goat she is. always conspiring to do somebody who means well, harm. she come tru like a tazmanian and stir up a whole heappa shyte n john still got her on stream. she dnt care bout nobody but herself and he too will learn dat one way or the other. jus leh he get in her way the way she dnt want him to. da ppl in peebles suffering because of dis devil woman. its like slavery all over again. ppl needs to come down n sit just to hear not to b seen by a doctor. just sit, listen and observe and they will c wa goin on down dey. dam OB nurse dat she is. what qualifies her to be peebles director i and everyone else wud like to kno. the fact that the whole of east end is her family? and the clynes? and whoever the hell else she chooses to claim? talkn bout watch who ya’ll talk to cause everybody is ha family. she got no scruples no manners and absolutely no class wen it comes to her position. check how she dresses for her position, as tho she goin to dinner. bottom line she n bull eye needs to go. the decisions they make r hillarious and nonsensical. boom
I agree with EVERY WORD but u need 2 upgrade on de GOAT. Lol
From what I see of the hospital, they need a few more “Pop eyes” and “Ghetto Divas” in the management because the place looks and smells a whole lot better than it use to. Change is always painful. It is sad that the same three or four poor performing staff who are satisfied with poor or no change and are saying belongers and BVI islanders should be given priority are tearing down two of their own. We are some SAD people. This is why we will not do any better. Truth is the BVIHSA is getting better without the help of the old do nothing I am just counting down to retirement staff and they can,t stand it.
@ BVI Homegrown
Blah blah, a couple coats of paint and a few tiles dont make a hospital. Wheel and come again.
Mr. Cline, management not only deals with the service, it also deals with the management of staff. This is the area where the shortfall is….the current bullied approach is not going to work, staff will only resist the change you are proposing to roll out.
currently, it appears as though poor management is been rewarded. The Ghetto Diva was just promoted. I could go on and on.
The Ghetto Diva has the right connections even though she has proven herself over and over again to be completely unsuited and incompetent. Lets not even start on pops eye !
Those BVIslanders trying to qualify themselves may as well forget it unless they have the right relations
It has been obvious for years that the management is incompetent and must be replaced BEFORE the new hospital is commissioned. I dont know and dont care who she is related to, but if they are protecting her they are doing the public a great disservice and should be ashamed of themselves. Opening and operating a new facility of this magnitude is a huge job, and there just isnt anyone here with the experience to do it. And still my question is when and where are the 32 doctors and 200 nurses to come from and to be housed? This is another project which was started without being thought through to the end, and is typical of the myopic attitude of our politicians, civil servants and high up connected family members. Get Real!
Is this a preposition to have his nephew hired.
and keep his waste of time cousin in a job
Is this a preposition to have his nephew.
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