The Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners (BAMP) is celebrating its first-ever Doctors’ Week after 50 years of existence, as the practice of medicine continues to change, association president Dr Lynda Williams said.
Giving remarks at James Street Methodist Church on Sunday, Dr Williams said the week was an opportunity to celebrate doctors and the sacrifices they make throughout their careers.
“The practice of medicine is changing. There are new ways of studying medicine. There are new medical schools. There’s the integration of artificial intelligence. The internet is a source of medical information for many people who turn to Google but fail to realise that the practice of medicine is an intricate and difficult practice,” she said.
Dr Williams presents a donation to BAMP council member Dr Tanya Sargeant-Belle, who leads the free medical clinic at James Street Methodist Church. (Photo courtesy: Lourianne Graham)
The BAMP president said doctors also had to balance the demands of caring for patients with their personal lives.
“Those of you who are caregivers, who may look after an aunt or an uncle or a parent, have some appreciation of how difficult it is to give care to one human being. It is not only difficult; it is a responsibility to think about their needs, to think about what to put them first, to think about what is necessary for their day-to-day lives. We, as doctors, face that responsibility times over, and we must balance everything we do for you with our own personal lives.”
She said the week was also an opportunity for BAMP to give back to the community that helped make their careers possible.
She said Doctors’ Week would also recognise the work of doctors across the health system.
“We want to celebrate the sacrifice. We want to celebrate the care that doctors give, not just in the hospital, but in the GP’s practice, in the polyclinics, in the prison, in the nursing homes, in the psychiatric hospital, in the geriatric hospital. There are doctors serving everywhere.”
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