Barbados’ bid to become a regional leader in child healthcare took centre stage on Monday night, as government officials, medical experts and international partners gathered to assess six years of progress under the Shaw Centre for Paediatric Excellence.
The Shaw Centre for Paediatric Excellence was established following a US$10m ($20m) donation by the Toronto-based LesLois Shaw Foundation in 2019, with implementation support from SickKids and collaboration from the Ministry of Health, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the University of the West Indies.
At a commemorative reception, held at the Canadian High Commissioner’s residence in Holetown, president and CEO of the SickKids Foundation Jennifer Bernard said the progress achieved in Barbados demonstrates how small states can deliver meaningful, system-wide change through collaboration and sustained investment.
“If we know we can do it in the West Indies, we can do it anywhere,” she said.
About 50 nurses have been trained in high-need paediatric areas, facilities at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital have been upgraded, and specialised equipment have been introduced to enhance the quality of care, among several measurable outcomes since the investment, according to Bernard.
Initiatives such as a three-year pilot for newborn screening reflect a growing emphasis on prevention and early intervention, she added.
“These are things that you don’t always see, but they make such a difference to the quality of care.”
She added that the centre’s integrated model, which brings together government, academia and healthcare providers, has strengthened Barbados’ capacity to deliver sustained improvements in paediatric care, while offering a blueprint for other countries seeking to strengthen child health systems.
Programme director of the Shaw Centre Dr Clyde Cave said the initiative represents a shift beyond traditional healthcare delivery towards a more coordinated and preventative model.
“We define health as medical, physical, social, and perhaps spiritual well-being,” he said.
The programme has moved towards a life-course approach to care, beginning before birth and extending into adolescence, while addressing long-standing gaps in how services are delivered to young people, Cave said.
He highlighted expanded training and specialist development, noting that the number of locally trained paediatric nurses has grown, alongside new expertise in areas such as neonatology, adolescent gynaecology and paediatric psychiatry.
He also underscored the role of research, including the Barbados Childhood Nutrition Study, in establishing a baseline for childhood obesity and informing national policy, particularly the school nutrition programme.
The centre continues to prioritise early intervention and community-based care, while acknowledging that one of the key challenges remains the need for stronger systems to measure impact and drive cultural change within the health care system, said Chandler..
Director of the LesLois Shaw Foundation Virginia Shaw said the family’s involvement in Barbados has always focused on impact rather than recognition, revealing that she had resisted having the family name placed on the Centre.
Describing herself as a “Bajan Canadian”, she spoke of a personal connection to the island, noting that her parents had once been patients of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
Shaw thanked partners and staff involved in the initiative, stressing that its progress reflects a shared effort across a wide network of collaborators and that the work remains ongoing with a continued focus on improving outcomes for children.
The post Child health system assessed six years after $20m boost appeared first on Barbados Today.
