As Government seeks to enter into a debt-for-nature swap to help fund marine conservation efforts, lawmakers are giving the assurance that it will not cost taxpayers a cent.

Minister in the Ministry of Finance Ryan Straughn explained that the debt swap arrangement, which is being entered into with CIBC FirstCaribbean and Credit Suisse International at  BDS$150 million each, was to allow government to buy back a portion of its existing debt at a lower interest rate – both Eurobonds and Series E bonds.

He said that it is the interest payment saved that would be diverted to the Barbados Environmental and Sustainability Fund over the next 15 years for the marine conservation plans.

This is being made possible with a guarantee by the Inter-American Development Bank for up to $200 million and The Nature Conservancy for up to $100 million.

“This will not impact the budget of the Ministry of Environment,” Straughn assured Tuesday’s sitting of the House of Assembly.

“Since we were already committed to paying a portion in interest, in exchange for buying back the debt at a lower interest rate, the commitment is that we will divert a portion of the existing interest payment to do some marine conservation work that is critical to be able to help sustain and build out the blue economy in Barbados,” he said.

Straughn told lawmakers that the savings from the existing debt payments were estimated to be between US$30 million and US$40 million, depending on the rate on the close of day on September 20, 2022.

“Therefore, over the next 15 years, once we close this transaction, the Barbados Environmental and Sustainability Fund will receive those debt service payments as they come due,” he said, stressing that it was not a government fund.

Minister of Environment and National Beautification Adrian Forde said the country was closer to developing a comprehensive marine spatial plan. He also assured Barbadians that the debt-for-nature swap would not cost them a cent.

“I want to say to Barbadians today that this new deal, this Bajan deal, will not cost them a cent. It will not cost their children a cent, it will not cost their children’s children a cent,” assured Forde.

“The commonsense about this is that we are, by allowing us to use the interest being saved on a deal for Barbadians, we are going to build out not only a marine spatial plan but an ecosystem management plan across this country that will seek to ensure that the existential threats we are facing as a nation are minimised and at best, that we are able to neuter them,” he said.

Noting that a lot of research has gone into the development of a marine spatial plan over the past three-and-a-half years, Forde said a wide cross section of stakeholders and specialists had an input.

He explained that it would consist of several components over the next three to five years, with the first focusing on biodiversity preservation.

The marine spatial plan will divide Barbados’ exclusive economic zone into areas based on their “true potential”, he said. There will be areas for research, wind energy, oil and gas exploration and drilling, fishing, shipping and docking, protection of species and reefs and corals, jet ski operations, diving and recreation, among others.

Forde, who linked illegal dumping, the use of certain chemicals and the invasion of the menacing sargassum seaweed to dwindling marine species, expressed concern about rising sea levels and its impact on the ocean space.

“We have lost about 50 something species of fish thus far in the marine environment and serious loss of our biodiversity, not only the fauna but flora as well. There are certain phytoplankton and plants at the bottom of the ocean that we are seeing no more,” he said.

Meanwhile, former Minister of Maritime Affairs and Blue Economy Kirk Humphrey, who is now Minister of Elder Affairs, said the establishment of the Barbados Environmental and Sustainability Fund was critical as the country seeks to protect and capitalise on its marine space.

“I am convinced that beyond the money that we get from the debt swap, Barbados will be able to finance the operations of the marine space from investment from other people – private and otherwise – because we have set up this fund,” said Humphrey.

“We now present to the people of Barbados a deal that will cost them nothing more, that has the guarantee of both the IDB and TNC [The Nature Conservancy] . . .  that allows us to work through CIBC and Credit Suisse to be able to do it, and everybody feeling fairly protected, and all that is left for us to do is to deliver,” he said.

The ministers were speaking in Parliament during debate on the resolutions to supplement the Debt Conversion (Counter-Guarantee) Act and the Special Loans Act Cap 105 (Marine Conservation), which were recently passed.

marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb

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By Morissa Lindsay

Graydon Sealy (formerly Garrison Secondary School) are the newly crowned champions of the 2022 Bragging Rights Football Old Scholars tournament as they comfortably registered a 3-0 victory over St. George Secondary this past Sunday at the Barbados Lumber Company ground.

Arantees Lawrence won the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) as well as player of the final and deservingly so as the former student of the Garrison School, renamed Graydon Sealy some years ago, did what he does best and scored goals.

A former senior national striker, Lawrence accounted for a total of seven goals including one in the final along with Ryan Smith and Wesley Alleyne as they outplayed the Lions who were forced to settle for second best on the night.

Lawrence told Barbados TODAY it was a great feeling leading his side to victory and said he could not have done it without the help of his teammates and the management team. What made it even more special, Lawrence explained, was that Graydon Sealy played undefeated throughout the tournament.

“I believe coming third in 2019 was a bittersweet feeling and the guys came out to work harder to achieve our goal which is to win the tournament. Big thanks to all the players and management,” Lawrence said.

“On winning the MVP trophy, it felt awesome to win the award in my first Bragging Rights Old Scholars tournament. Without the players around me I would not have won the award so a big thanks goes out to team Garrison and all of the supporters that came out,” he added.

Lawrence who has had a good career at the club and national level rolled back the years with his former school and national teammate Jonathan Straker (defender) with their exceptional playing ability which was the case with many of the other Old Scholars that competed for their respective alma maters.

The Bragging Rights Football Old Scholars tournament continues to be an annual success and this year was no different. However, it was certainly the Lawrence show as he scored at crucial stages of the competition for Graydon Sealy especially in the quarter finals, semifinals and the finals and leading them to victory.

morissalindsay@barbadostoday.bb

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Barbados will compete in the second edition of the FIA Motorsport Games to be held in France in October, where up to 80 National Sporting Authorities of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile will be chasing gold, silver and bronze medals. The Barbados Motoring Federation (BMF) has confirmed that Leon Sealy will represent it in Esports, one of 17 disciplines spanning the motor sport spectrum.

Since the initial FIA Motorsport Games in 2019, hosted in Italy, which featured six core disciplines and attracted 49 nations and 192 drivers, the scope has been expanded almost three-fold. After a two-year hiatus during the pandemic, it will now cover disciplines from the grassroots to the pinnacles of the sport, from Karting Slalom to Rallying, Drifting to Formula 4, Endurance and GT racing, with the Esports competition supported by leading manufacturer of sim racing hardware Fanatec.

Now living in the United Kingdom, former Alexandra School student Sealy has been sim racing for about two years, mostly on Assetto Corsa Competizione, which is the platform in use for the FIA Motorsport Games. From his home in south London, he said: “I’m excited to be a part of this upcoming trip. I always watch the SRO esports races, so to share the same grid with some of those guys and gals will be next level. I started on console but moved over to PC at the end of 2021 and I’m part of SOP motorsports esports team in the UK.”

The 33-year-old headed overseas from Welches Terrace, St Thomas, 10 years ago to further his studies and landed a telecoms engineering apprenticeship, becoming a fibre-optic telecoms engineer for the London Underground. He now has a family which keeps him busy at weekends but has been to top British circuits such as Brands Hatch and Silverstone to watch GT racing – “Seeing these cars in person is an experience,” he says – also travelled to Bahrain for a round of the World Endurance Championship, although October will be his first visit to France.

Sealy was selected from eight pro level Barbadian competitors in trials held by Caribbean Sim Motorsport (CSM), which became affiliated to the BMF last year. There were three point-scoring components to the trials, a hot-lap competition hosted by the FIA in-game, then a 25-minute Sprint Race and one-hour Feature Race on a sim Paul Ricard track.

Esports, which is expected to attract more than 80 racers, the largest number of entries in any discipline, will begin on Thursday, October 27, with the final on the Saturday. A knock-out format will decide the 20 finalists, racing for national pride at Circuit Paul Ricard’s Mistral Hall – overlooking the famous Mistral Straight at the home of the French Grand Prix.

The competition will use the Assetto Corsa Competizione platform with racers competing in virtual GT3 cars – digital versions of the same cars that will compete in the ‘real world’ GT, GT Sprint and Endurance disciplines at the event.

Chairman of Caribbean Sim Motorsport (CSM) Robert Simmons said: “CSM, being the newest member of the BMF, created an ambitious agenda for 2022 and beyond which was focused on enhancing the Esports discipline in Barbados and further to enhance the country’s presence on a world stage. Our attendance at the World Motorsport Games certainly achieves this goal and we wish Leon the best of luck in representing our country and our club.” (RB)

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Team Barbados is busy preparing for the upcoming 2022 CARIFTA Triathlon, Aquathlon and Mixed Team Relay Championships being held in Bermuda on September 24th and 25th.

The Barbados Federation of Island Triathletes (BFIT) has announced a 13- member team to fly the Bajan flag high at Clearwater Beach in Bermuda for the fourth installment of the Games. Barbados is one of 29 federations invited from the Caribbean region to compete for the first time after a two-year hiatus from the Championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The last CARIFTA Triathlon and Aquathlon Championships was held in 2019 in Jamaica when Team Barbados was second overall. President Darren Treasure explained that the national athletes were eager to get back out into competition.

The CARIFTA Championships will see three events taking place over the two-day event. The triathlon (swim, bike, and run) the aquathlon (swim and run), and the mixed team relay championships, with the athletes divided into four age-group categories, 11-12, 13-15, 16-19, and 20-21. This year, the team will consist of many new faces who will be getting their first taste of triathlon and aquathlon at the Caribbean level. Making their debut will be Zajara Layne, Ali Banfield, Hailey Banfield, Laila McIntyre, and Zindzele Renwick-Williams all competing in the 11-12 age group: and Judah Hall-Fox in the 13-15 age group.

Some familiar faces will be returning to the Championships in the 13-15 category, such as young veterans Luke McIntyre (double gold medallist at the last CARIFTA), Cain Banfield and Daniel Lashley who also had strong performances in the last CARIFTA Championships. Additionally, Fynn Armstrong, a first-place finisher in the under-17 3000m at the 2022 Track & Field CARIFTA Games, is team captain and will be looking to use his strength in the run to propel him to a medal. In the 16-19 category Barbados will be represented by Isis Gaskin, Niel Skinner and Eric Lashley, all of whom will be competing in their fourth CARIFTA championships.

Team managers Cary Banfield and Garth McIntyre will be accompanied by several parents and supporters to bring the total contingent to 31.

“Although we have a relatively young team this year, we are expecting some very strong performances from many of our athletes. They have been training hard for this event and are looking forward to competing against the best in the Caribbean,” Banfield said.

BFIT thanked the sponsors who agreed to assist their talented athletes in reaching their goal of representing Barbados at these games. Sponsorship will not only assist in outfitting the team with uniforms, but also help offset some of the travel expenses for each athlete. Platinum sponsors: Chefette Restaurants Limited, Lucozade Energy Drink, Eric Hassell Shipping. Gold Sponsors: Amir’s Chicken, iMart Pharmacy, Frosteez Ice-Cream, CyberFit 2.0. (PR)

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Consumers will pay less for gasoline and kerosene, and more for diesel, effective midnight Wednesday, September 14.

The retail price of gasoline will be $4.26 per litre, a decrease of 13 cents, while kerosene will cost $2.16 per litre, a saving of 20 cents. Diesel will now sell for $3.94 per
litre, which is an increase of 9 cents.

Given the high volatility associated with refined petroleum products, Government capped the retail prices of gasoline and diesel at $4.48 per litre and $4.03 per litre,
respectively.  The capping is expected to bring some level of predictability to the retail prices, and shield consumers from the full increase of refined petroleum products.

When calculated, the retail prices fell below the cap of the gasoline and diesel.
(SA/BGIS

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Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley Wednesday made an impassioned plea for the United States to reverse its decision regarding correspondent banking in the Caribbean telling US legislators not to allow “this to be recorded as unconscious bias.

“Look at the list of countries who are listed and you will see they are all former colonies and people of colour. And look at the countries, in spite of being able to open a bank account in hours in Delaware or Wyoming, within hours in Luxembourg or Zurich and they remain off of this list that speak about the risk to money laundering and look and see where the divide comes,” Mottley said.

Testifying before the United States House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services, Mottley, flanked by several Caribbean Community (CARICOM) prime ministers, said she believes the Committee has a “keen eye for fairness and equity and all we ask today is for a level playing field.

She told the hearing on “When Banks leave: The impacts of De-Risking on the Caribbean and Strategies for Ensuring Financial Access,” that one of the solutions, the Caribbean would like to leave “is that the Treasury ought to be truthful to its mandate.

“It says it wants to be risk sensitive, well if it wants to be risk sensitive then it needs to focus on where the money is rather than creating rules that act as a proxy to money laundering or terrorism financing and it has found the answer , even if fortuitously or scientifically this year…with the Russian sanctions”.

The Committee hearing follows a similar session held in Barbados earlier this year involving the Committee’s chairman, Maxine Waters and other US legislators.

Mottley said she wanted to thank the Committee “for hearing seeing us today, for hearing us, feeling us, because for too often we have not done so.

“We are here because we are fighting for a global public good and we are fighting for the human rights of our citizens. This Committee has already expressed its concern about financial exclusion of the American population…our people are no different”.

She told the US legislators that growing up in the Caribbean, opening a bank account was regarded as “part of our right of passage to becoming an adult. Today it is now a gigantean obstacle for us to have our people do so”.

Mottley said that foreign investors and locals alike, spend “weeks and months, just to open a bank account as individuals to live and as companies to trade in business.

“Our economies cannot function on their own. We do not make enough clothes, we do not produce our own food, we do not produce our own equipment and therefore unless we are able to trade with the rest of the world we are at risk of becoming financial pariahs.

“We are here because the listing process that has taken place whether through the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) or further, as a result of actions taken for enhanced due diligence by those who take listing from the FATF or the OECD”.

She said it means that those correspondent banks over the last 10 to 12 years “have made a judgement that we are simply too small…because the enhanced due diligence means increased costs of regulations, increased costs of compliance”.

She said rather than do business with the Caribbean, these banks say “thank you, but no thank you.

‘What it is meant is that almost every country in our region over the course of the last decade with the exception of two or three have had a loss of more than 30 per cent of their correspondent banking relationship.

“The truth is we have also seen others use alternative mechanisms…and therefore what we face is that the very thing that you set out to achieve, which is the avoidance of terrorism financing, the avoidance of money laundering to which we all agree is likely to happen because you are driving people underground”.

Mottley said there is no benefit in driving Caribbean people underground or making the region uncompetitive and the economies becoming under developed or failed states.

‘We have been making noise for near a decade and we want to thank this Committee for hearing us today because that noise cannot continue,” Mottley said, noting that ironically with the technological development these days “there are options becoming available to countries to opt out of the swift system and to find other ways of being able to transmit monies to their citizens”.

She said that while this option is not yet available to the Caribbean, “but given long enough nature abhors a vacuum and we will find a way”.

Mottley reminded the legislators that following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the sanctions imposed on Moscow, it was soon discovered that most of the assets held by Russians were not in Caribbean banks, but in Europe and the United States.

“If you don’t use this example to show why this is an appropriate time to take different action, we will continue the injustice,” she said, adding “Russia did not choose the Caribbean to hide its money…they chose the metropolis, they chose London, New York, Switzerland, Luxemburg.

“And you only have to…follow the money…it hasn’t come to the Caribbean,” she told the legislators. (CMC)

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Prime Minister Mia Mottley on Wednesday threw down the gauntlet to the United States Congress to better regulate banking relations and deal with the vexing issue of de-risking and blacklisting to prevent Caribbean nations becoming financial outcasts.

She further cautioned that if urgent action was not taken, alternative ways to trade and transfer funds would be sought.

“What we face is a situation that . . . the avoidance of terrorism financing, the avoidance of money laundering, on which we are all agreed, is likely to happen because you are driving people underground,” the Barbadian leader warned in historic testimony before the US House Committee on Financial Services during a hearing on When Banks Leave: The Impacts of De-risking on the Caribbean, and Strategies for Ensuring Financial Access.

“We are here because we are fighting for a global public good and we are fighting for the human rights of our citizens.

“Our economies cannot function on their own. We do not make enough clothes, we do not produce our own food, we do not produce our own equipment and, therefore, unless we are able to trade with the rest of the world we are at risk of becoming financial pariahs,” insisted Mottley who was the first Prime Minister in near four decades to testify before the American Congress.

She identified blacklisting by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the European Union, and other organisations as a major reason for correspondent banks withdrawing their vital services from the region over the years.

“We believe if we can move these lists, we are in a position to be able to at least have a better chance to make the case that the substantive concern that we all have to fight crime are being met,” the Prime Minister told the House Committee on Financial Services.

Mottley noted that over the last decade, almost all Caribbean Community (CARICOM) nations had lost more than 30 per cent of their correspondent banking relationships.

She contended that after “making noise” about the situation for close to a decade, it was time for action, as she noted that the large immigrant community in the US was also feeling the effects of being cut off from correspondent banking.

Prime Minister Mottley said in addition to individuals finding alternative ways to send money to their loved ones back home, businesses and countries would have to do the same when they want to trade.

She called for the changes and improvements to countries’ financial legislation and policies to be taken in real time, for greater use of technology, communication, sharing of information, “and, above all else, fairness and transparency to ensure that our people are not further punished”.

Asking the US to take action that will create a “level playing field” for Caribbean nations in the financial services space, Mottley urged Congress to “focus on where the money is rather than creating rules that act as a proxy to money laundering or terrorism financing”.

“This is the most nonsensical thing we have seen in public policy,” she said, stating that  the FATF and other watchdog organisations were too focused on process and form instead of “substantive prosecution of money laundering”.

Mottley also echoed sentiments shared recently by regional economist Marla Dukharan, when she questioned why Barbados and other predominantly Black developing nations were often placed on a blacklist for their purported lack of compliance in the financial sector, while Luxembourg, the US, the United Kingdom, and other larger countries with predominantly White populations were not.

“Do not let this be recorded as an active and conscious bias. Look at the list of countries who are listed and you see that they are almost all former colonies and people of colour. And look at the countries who, in spite of being able to open a bank account within hours in Delaware, Wyoming, Luxembourg or Zurich, they remain off of these lists that speak about the risk of money laundering. Look and see where the divide comes,” said the Prime Minister who was accompanied by Special Envoy Advisors Professor Avinash Persaud and Economic Advisor Dr Kevin Greenidge, Central Bank Governor Cleviston Haynes, and Director of Finance and Economic Affairs Ian Carrington.

Congress representative for North Carolina Patrick McHenry also cautioned that as Caribbean countries are cut off from correspondent banks in the US, they could turn to China, which the US had been trying to discourage.

“When innocent people and legitimate businesses are being shut off from financial services we need to take a step back. We should re-examine our approach to make sure that we are not lumping the good with the bad,” he said.

Indicating that derisking could have severe economic consequences, Congressman McHenry added: “The question of the day is this, ‘where do those de-banked customers go?’ China.”

(marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb)

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Regional aviation administrators have taken Caribbean governments to task for imposing high fees and taxes on tickets and failing to introduce adequate technology at airports.

However, the Caribbean’s largest airlift security systems company, Sectus Technologies, has not only refuted claims of poor technological infrastructure but justified the cost of some ticket prices and air charges.

On Caribbean Aviation Day on Wednesday, during the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO)/International Air Transport Association (IATA) conference being held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Grand Cayman, IATA’s regional vice president for the Americas Peter Cerdá said the Caribbean was pricing itself out of global travel and tourism competition with high ticket prices.

He warned that this ticket overpricing could lead to the demise of air travel to the region since tourists had alternative and cheaper destinations to choose from.

“We understand that the provision of adequate infrastructure for aviation comes at a cost, but very often it is difficult to see the correlation between the level of cost and charges and the actual service provided,” Cerdá said.

“Taxes and fees added to airline tickets substantially increase the cost of air travel to and from the region. By way of comparison, at a global level, taxes and charges make up approximately 15 per cent of the ticket price, and in the Caribbean, the average is double this at approximately 30 per cent of the ticket price.”

The IATA official noted that on a flight from Barbados to Barbuda, for example, taxes and fees represented 56 per cent of the ticket price, while 42 per cent of the ticket price on a flight from The Bahamas to Jamaica represented taxes and fees. That was also the case on a flight from St Lucia to Trinidad and Tobago, while on a flight from Port of Spain to Barbados, 40 per cent of the ticket price represented taxes and fees.

“Today’s passengers have a choice and as the total cost of vacations increasingly becomes a decision-making factor, governments must be prudent and not price themselves out of the market,” Cerdá cautioned.

Vice president of Sectus Technologies Maureen Allen agreed that taxes on intra-regional flights could be adjusted to promote more Caribbean travel. However, she told Barbados TODAY, that the taxes and fees associated with international flights to the Caribbean should remain.

“I don’t disagree with the ‘One Caribbean’ movement . . . but one of the comments being made here is that the taxes are too high. But Caribbean islands can’t be compared to the United States, Great Britain, or Dubai. Guess where they get all of their tax money? Not from tourism. So having higher prices should not affect whether you do business or not and when you have to put all this infrastructure in place for aviation. It costs a lot of money and you are mandated to do it,” she reasoned.

“Each government that I have worked with over 37 years has done their best. A lot of people come down to this region and say ‘we can do this or that’ but they don’t have the experience or knowledge of the technology that is actually out there because it changes every day.”

Allen said tourism was the main economic driver in the Caribbean and the high rates were necessary in some instances to maintain international aviation requirements and high air travel standards.

“You are not gas and oil, you are tourism so you need those taxes to make this all work,” she insisted.

During a panel discussion entitled Infrastructure in the Caribbean – Opportunities, Challenges, and Best Practices, aviation administrators charged that regional airports lacked appropriate technology. They also complained about slow processing times and custom checks at the region’s airports.

Director-general of the Airports Council International for Latin America and the Caribbean Dr Rafael Echevarne said the customer experience, as far as processing times were concerned, should be urgently improved.

He said congestion was a major problem that led to customer frustration and dissatisfaction, adding that upgraded technological and security services would give Caribbean travel a competitive edge.

Echevarne’s sentiments were supported by the director for International Airports at Spirit Airlines, Camilo Martelo who said an enhanced tourist experience would guarantee more repeat customers and result in more earnings for destinations.

He said security check lines and the time it took to clear customs and collect luggage were factors that impacted the customer experience.

“So, investing in technology, investing in infrastructure, investing in air navigation efficiency is investing in the guest experience. All of that would support the airline industry, support the travel and tourism industry and that is the direct connection with value,” said Martelo.

However, Allen argued that congestion at airports in more developed countries was worse than what occurred in the region.

She called on aviation administrators to stop crying down the Caribbean.

“Passenger flow through the region I wouldn’t even consider a problem. I don’t know where that comment came from because you can’t compare it to Miami, Toronto, New York, or London where you spend hours, and people don’t complain there. You [the Caribbean] have the best technology in the industry available today . . . ,” she said.

Allen said keeping the region’s borders safe from threats such as terrorism cost regional governments millions of dollars and the technology was changing at a rapid pace – about every five to ten years.

She said it was mandatory for governments worldwide to keep abreast of the technology, adding that the Caribbean was close to being on par with more developed countries in that aspect.

“Security is very expensive . . . . They [Caribbean governments] are all doing it  . . . and up-to-date,” said Allen.

sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb

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Students who do not have uniforms when the new school term starts on Monday will be allowed to wear other clothing until at least the end of the month.

Minister of Education, Technological and Vocational Training Kay McConney made the announcement on Wednesday, explaining that following complaints about the unavailability of either pre-made uniforms or uniform fabric, uniform requirements would be adjusted for now.

In a statement in which she spoke directly to parents, McConney said: “With sensitivity to your challenges in this circumstance, I wish to give some ease. The Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training has decided to relax the regulations to our school uniform policy until September 30th, 2022, after which it will be reviewed.

“This means that if your child is unable to wear the full school uniform, new or re-used, from the first day of school on September 19th, he or she will be allowed to dress in a manner appropriate for school in a plain-coloured t-shirt or a plain-coloured polo shirt and a jeans pants. Note that this relaxation is for a limited time, until uniform fabrics are available.”

McConney said parents had complained they were unable to get the needed amounts of fabrics for some primary and secondary schools, including Parkinson Memorial Secondary School and the Alexandra School.

“Importers of uniform fabric, manufacturers of uniforms, and retailers have stated that there have been delays in the delivery of fabric to the island, which means that manufacturing has slowed down; available stock has been depleted so certain colours and sizes are unavailable; and dressmakers and tailors have been put under greater pressure to sew uniforms for which they cannot get the correct fabric to finish by next Monday,” she added.

The Education Minister pointed to several factors in the supply chain that have contributed to the delay in uniform fabrics reaching Barbados, including the intermittent shutdown of several overseas factories where the fabric is made and the slow consolidation of shipments due to transportation challenges between multiple cities.

She added that shipping connections were held back when a vessel bringing the shipments to Barbados experienced a delay in getting privileges to berth at one of the transit countries in the region where it had to stop before coming here.

“All of this is outside of the control of Barbados, of the Ministry of Education, of the schools, and of our uniform manufacturers, retailers, tailors, and dressmakers,” Minister McConney said.

With the uniform rules relaxed for now, she said the Chief Education Officer would communicate with principals at the respective schools so they can work with students, parents, and guardians “to do what is necessary and reasonable to accommodate the relaxation of the uniform regulations” and to ensure a safe return to full face-to-face classes for all.

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Fruit and vegetable vendors who are anxiously awaiting the completion of Phase Two of Fairchild Street Market Village will be able to move into their new stalls in a matter of weeks.

Following a tour of the project in which construction started in April, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Indar Weir told Barbados TODAY he was satisfied the stalls would be completed by mid-October, paving the way for vendors to move in by the end of that same month.

He said he was pleased with the design of the general market space and the configuration of the stall facilities.

“As you know, we have already completed Phase One of the vendors’ market where the food and beverage stalls are located, and now we are on Phase Two which is closer to the main road where the fruit and vegetable vendors will be. I am happy with the progress I saw during my visit there this morning, I am very pleased with what I saw,” he said. 

The first two phases of the Fairchild Street Market Village have been projected to cost $3.8 million. The facility will cater to 112 vendors and include 48 food and beverage stalls and two bathrooms. A car park will also be accommodated at the new location.

Several construction companies are working on the project.

Phase Two is being constructed on the same spot as the old market.

While there were concerns expressed during Phase One about the allocation of stall spaces, Minister Weir assured the fruit and vegetable vendors that their new spots would depend on the size of the stalls they occupied when they plied their trade at the old market.

“We allocated the size of stalls based on what people were doing previously. There is no way on earth that you are going to avoid people probably not being happy if someone has a stall that appears to be bigger than theirs.

“We had people who had a certain size stall and you give them back that size stall but then there were others who might have had a stall that was slightly bigger, and then people would say ‘how come this body got a bigger stall?’ And those are the types of things that people will engage in until they are settled. Then they realise that you were giving people back what they had,” Minister Weir explained. 

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Chairman of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) Roy Raphael wants the Transport Authority to conduct a much-needed feasibility study in order to better understand and service a number of under-served routes on the island.

Raphael who spoke to Barbados TODAY ahead of the start of the new school year next week and an anticipated increase in passenger traffic, said that unfortunately, there are still several routes around the island which after five or six o’ clock on evenings, see little to no service from Transport Board Buses or private PSVs (Public Service Vehicles).

“Rather than having all of your eggs in one basket, they need to do a feasibility study to really look at the whole question of public transport in Barbados,” Raphael suggested. “We have situations where buses start at five o’ clock in the morning and finish at six o’ clock in the evening… Barbados does not stop at six, Barbados continues until late hours.

“Why is it that we can’t have our buses terminate after six o’ clock but yet you are having pirates being able to fill the void… A study needs to be done, or route rationalisation, to ensure that everybody is able to work a reasonable time on these routes,” he said.

Raphael lamented that though select routes on the island seem to be well serviced, such as the Speightstown, Jackson, and Bush Hall routes, others such as Rendezvous Garden, the Ivy, and Fordes Road are grossly underserviced, with not even buses from the Transport Board running after certain hours.

The AOPT chairman also raised concerns about the number of road signs scattered around the country which have gone into a state of disrepair, stating “These are areas that we would have addressed with the ministry before. There are some stop signs, for example, that you cannot tell if it’s a stop or go sign, because these signs have not been replaced for a very long time. There are some bus stops where the elements have caused [significant] damage to them.

“The ministry needs to send out a team and see what is happening out there. Some road signs and village signs for example, we can’t understand them. Some of them turned upside down.”

shamarblunt@barbadostoday.bb

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The Barbados-based water maintenance and management company Ecohesion has been taken over by a Canada-based firm in a deal that officials say will create tremendous opportunity for Barbados in the area of wastewater management.

Officials declined to disclose the value of the merger with sustainable infrastructure development specialist firm Integrated Sustainability, but noted that it was “major” and had been concluded after several years of discussion.

“I think the union of our two companies was very natural,” said Nick St-Georges, Vice President of International operations at Integrated Sustainability.

He indicated that the company was involved in a number of water sustainability projects across the region.

“We are naturally going to be looking for bigger opportunities. We have partnerships that can complement us and provide financing and construction support.

“With that in mind, with our regional headquarters here in Barbados, we are going after big projects and our hopes are to provide good quality, high-technical opportunities for hiring people in Barbados. There will be opportunities across the Caribbean as well,” he added.

In addition to three offices in Canada, the 12-year-old Integrated Sustainability also has operations in Texas in the United States and has been operating in Barbados for just over four years.

Ecohesion, which has been in operation since 2013, has operations in Bermuda and Guyana. The employment between the two companies is just over 130, including both full-time and part-time workers. In Barbados, the company has done several water treatment and reclamation projects including water treatment for a beverage and bottling company and a custom-engineered water reclamation project for a West Coast villa.

St-Georges said in addition to employment opportunities locally and regionally, there will be scope for career advancement and mentorship.

He said the merger also signalled the continued building of relationship between Canada and Barbados, as both countries work to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Stuart Torr, President and CEO of Integrated Sustainability, said the coming together of both companies will allow them to build on their strengths.

He said the merger allows for the company to be in a better position to help solve some of the biggest challenges facing Barbados and the region in the area of water management.

“We are going to be able to export that to other parts of the world. Typically, when you bring an international company together with a smaller one you think the international company solved everything, but we haven’t. This group brings a unique expertise and perspective that we are going to be able to export into our broader offering in North America and we are going to create opportunities for their staff to help us support those projects internationally as well,” said Torr.

“It is a major investment. We have believed in the investment in the Caribbean for a while. We think this is a wonderful place to tackle some of the most significant challenges globally, and what we are looking at here is a combined team that enables us to do it forcibly and more poetically,” he said.

“We have a very unique positioning now and I think it is going to benefit, not only, Barbados but the other islands. We think our service can broaden and we are very excited about that,” he added.

Meanwhile, André Quesnel of the Ecohesion Group, said that company in the past has worked with the University of the West Indies to get needed talent, and that would continue.

“What is amazing about this partnership is that it has opened up the career growth for Barbadians and for Caribbean nationals to grow and work on projects internationally and have mentors . . . It is removing that ceiling. So that is what we are really excited about,” said Quesnel.

He also underscored the value of the merger, saying it created an opportunity for Barbados to become “a leader in water sustainability, and to become a hub for the region to export services and train individuals in the water sector”.

marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb

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The Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) off-road navigational fraternity will remember one of the Club’s stalwarts this Sunday when the fourth round of the Chefette MudDogs Safari Championship is named in honour of Philip McConney, whose sudden passing in July was a shock to the whole community. The ‘Donks’ September Safari is titled for the affectionate nickname by which he was known in motor sport across the island for many years.

‘Donks’ had been a competitor, marshal and official for more than 30 years and there was rarely a motor sport event from which he was absent. Most recently, he had been the Start and Service Park Co-ordinator for Sol Rally Barbados 2022 (RB22), spending many hours working at The Rally Show, First Citizens King of the Hill and then RB22 itself, before enjoying the other side of the sport as a participant in the 65th Anniversary running of the June Rally, an event he had won twice.

Twelve crews were confirmed at last night’s briefing meeting at Ocean Park, Christ Church, where it was also announced that the plaques and trophies for Sunday’s event are being sponsored by Realtors Ltd and Serenity Pest Control. All of the leading championship contenders are entered, headed by multiple champions Leslie Alleyne and Chris O’Neal, who have an unbeaten record so far this season in the POD Store/Maxxis Suzuki Jimny they debuted on the March Safari.

Keen to challenge their supremacy are Ben Norris and Kirk Watkins (Jeep Rubicon), who finished second in both March and May, and Christopher King/Warrick Eastmond, who will be starting at number one in their Suzuki Jimny. In Class B, Adam Hunte and Samantha Gibbs have claimed two wins in the Doverwood Projects Mitsubishi L200, while Ben Moore, who was the winning navigator in ‘The June’ with first-timer Greg Cozier is paired up with his father Stephen for Sunday’s event in the Moore & Moore Services Isuzu D-Max.

Route-setters are Jason Downey and Kristina Pinto, more usually seen these days rallying together in a BimmaCup. Sunday’s route is concentrated in the centre and south-east of the island, visiting Christ Church, St George and St John after starting at Oughterson in St Philip at 8 a.m. There will be one Driver Challenge towards the end of Route 1 close to Foursquare in the same parish, with the lunch break at the Armag Vegetable Depot at approximately 11 a.m. and the finish back at Oughterson at around 4 p.m. The results will be declared at the Prizegiving on Tuesday evening (September 20) at Ocean Park, Christ Church.

MudDogs chairman Ricky Holder said: “This will be our first event without Donks for as long as we can remember, either as a marshal or competitor. We had all worked together at King of the Hill and Rally Barbados, then he finished seventh in ‘The June’ with Willie Hinds as navigator. Throughout all of that, he was his usual cheery self, so his passing was such a shock. We all miss him and will be thinking of him over this weekend.”

Chefette MudDogs Safari Championship

Round 4 – September 18 – ‘Donks’ September Safari

Class A

1 Christopher King/Warrick Eastmond (Suzuki Jimny)

4 Stephen Mayers/David Reece (Toyota Hilux)

5 Willie Hinds/Wayne Manning (Black Bess Group Suzuki Samurai)

7 Dean Springer/Bridget Garity (Eastern Veterinary Clinic Ford Ranger)

8 Gary Mendes/tbc (G&G Sales and Service Daihatsu Rocky)

12 Ben Norris/Kirk Watkins (Jeep Rubicon)

13 Leslie Alleyne/Chris O’Neal (POD Store/Maxxis Suzuki Jimny)

Class B

2 Joel Smith/Simon Parravicino (Jeep Wrangler)

3 Stephen Moore/Ben Moore (Moore & Moore Services Isuzu D-Max)

6 George Mendes/Leslie Evanson (Suzuki Vitara)

9 Adam Hunte/Samantha Gibbs (Doverwood Projects Nissan Patrol)

10 Joseph Tseu/Maya Ramsey (Suzuki Samurai)

11 Winston Drakes/David Boyce (Mitsubishi L200)

Chefette MudDogs Safari Championship: Round 1 – Mar 13, BRC MudDogs March Safari; Round 2 – May 14, Chefette May Safari; Round 3 – Jun 25/26, The Shelbury Construction 65th Anniversary June Safari; Round 4 – Sep 16, ‘Donks’ September Safari; Round 5 – Nov 19, BRC MudDogs November Safari (RB)

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By Morissa Lindsay

As Barbados’ 400m track stars Sada Williams and Jonathan Jones along with cyclist Amber Joseph were today celebrated for their performances on the international stage, they were promised a new National Stadium if all goes according to plan.

That however remains tentative according to the Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, Charles Griffith, who said during a press conference at the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex that if all goes well in 2023 Barbados should break ground for a new National Stadium.

“We are expecting that in 2023 if all things go according to plan you should see us breaking ground for a new Stadium. So, that is if all goes according to plan. In relation to our athletes I really want to congratulate you on what you did in terms of your position on the podium,” Griffith said.

After the motorcade which travelled the southern area of the island carrying the elite athletes, and concluded at the Gymnasium, Griffith reiterated that Government is aware that they need to have a new national stadium and given the urgency of the matter Cabinet has granted approval to have a consultant visit Barbados on September 21st to indicate how soon a stadium could be constructed.

In addition, the Minister also revealed that a new 400m track is on island and will be laid on the North Western side of the Wildey Gymnasium. A pilot project is also in the works with a SAT programme that would afford more of Barbados’ national athletes with scholarship opportunities in partnership with universities in Canada.

“Last week I had a meeting with 12 Universities out of Canada with the understanding that hopefully by September next year we could have some scholarships that are dedicated to athletes,” he added.

Griffith said that Government is doing all in its power for the development of sports and promised that in a short time they will look to restructure the National Sports Council. “If we are the developmental organization and it is the one for drive at the grassroots level, then we need to look in a different direction as it relates to how we deliver our services. Shortly that would happen in the sense that we will restructure in a way that we can have the most impact at the elite level.”

Unfortunately, Shane Brathwaite was unable to be on island but Williams, Jones and Joseph were all deservingly recognized for their eye-catching performances this year at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

The other officials present were President of the Barbados Olympic Association, Sandra Osborne, Director of the National Sports Council, Neil Murrell, and Permanent Secretary in the Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, Yolande Howard.

During her remarks Osborne said her organization was pleased to be associated with the event that celebrated the hard work, dedication, discipline and the resilience of the national athletes. She thanked the Government for recognizing the excellence of the athletes as well.

This year the BOA has doubled its direct funding for athletes to $1.475 million with the allocation weighted heavily in favour of the top 12 Road to Paris 2024 athletes, Osborne revealed, while pointing out that this would not have been possible without the continuously generous support of the Barbados Lottery and International Game Technology (IGT).

Based on such increased funding, Osborne said she believes it will improve the athlete’s chances but acknowledged that it takes a lot more than that to produce medallists.

Therefore, in her capacity as BOA President, Osborne called on other stakeholders to play their part. “As we celebrate the achievements of these athletes, our call is to the wider stakeholders; government, sponsors and donors to work with us to support our athletes’ journey to Paris in the funding programme we call Road to Paris 2024.

“This journey includes the Commonwealth Youth Games, the Central American and Caribbean Games and the Pan American Games 2023, all stepping stones to Paris 2024. We believe that we can do so much as a country if we focus our collective effort on working together in support of these fine athletes, not just at the end but at the beginning and throughout the journey,” she said.

Osborne also recognized the tremendous efforts from athletes this year in other sporting disciplines such as judo, squash and motor sports which have also placed Barbados on the global map. There were also six silver medals won at the recently concluded inaugural Caribbean Games with five silver medals from swimming, track and field and netball and another bronze in track. morissalindsay@barbadostoday.bb

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By Shamar Blunt

Shock and horror unfolded online yesterday after a video showing a dying dog was circulated, with witnesses on the scene claiming it was the ill treatment endured that eventually led to the animal’s death.

Police are now investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident and are asking for eyewitnesses to come forward to lend assistance.

One witness described an alarming scene at Pebbles Beach on Tuesday, where a dog appeared to have drowned in the late afternoon incident.

The now viral video which evoked the ire of the online audience, showed a man dragging, then lifting the limp body of the animal onto the shore, as onlookers watched and pleaded with him.

One witness to the distressing scene, Lavern Beresford, told Barbados TODAY that while the beach was not well populated during the 4 p.m. period, onlookers had a clear view of a man in the water throwing an unrecognisable object in the air.

“We saw him throwing this thing up in the air.
That is what caught my attention…We thought it was a child at first, but then when we looked good we saw it was a dog. When the dog landed in the water a second time, you could clearly see that the dog was struggling.

“A wave came and knocked the dog under, and it was literally struggling and at one point was under the water for five to ten seconds. When the dog finally popped back out it was reaching out for help,” she recalled.

Beresford revealed that more locals and tourists walked over to the area to find out what was happening, but by that time, the animal was unfortunately close to death after being flung repeatedly into the air and landing violently in the water.

“It was at that point I ran towards them and other people on the beach ran to them as well, and we tried to resuscitate the dog. People were trying to pump the water out of the dog’s stomach, some water did come out but the dog’s nose and mouth had a very thick crust of sand because it was wet and had been dragged on the sand.

“Literally after that the dog took two breaths and died, and that was the end of the dog. There was no remorse, no tears, all he was saying was ‘get up Sparky’ and he was hitting the dog all the while he was on the sand.”

Beresford also dismissed the idea that the incident could have been an accident, alleging that the man’s actions suggested otherwise.

“This was not an accident, it was not a simple drowning accident where someone takes their dog to the beach and a wave takes the dog away….”

Police Public Affairs and Communications Officer Inspector Rodney Inniss confirmed that the incident had been reported to the Hastings -Worthing Police Station.

“We have commenced an official investigation into this matter,” Inniss said in a statement.

“We are aware of the widespread public discussions and ultimate concerns. We are encouraging anyone who may have witnessed this incident to come forward and make a report to any police station.”

Local animal welfare advocate and Trustee for Action for Animals Barbados (AFAB) Gail Hunte, told Barbados TODAY that though the video footage was hard to stomach, the situation of some persons on the island disregarding the life of animals had unfortunately become all too regular.

“I am not surprised, I think that this is something that happens probably quite a lot, especially with persons who fight or breed dogs they no longer want. What troubles me the most is the comment made [in the video] that ‘This is Barbados’ when a visitor said they would call the police.

“It showed that he had a total disrespect for our laws, that he is above the law, and that he could do certain things and there would be no consequence.”

Hunte further described the act as a heinous one, and once again renewed calls for government to be heavy-handed in addressing the current lacklustre approach to dealing with animal abuse situations on the island. shamarblunt@barbadostoday.bb

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Acting High Court judge Barbara Cooke-Alleyne, says the recent wave of delinquency amongst the youth is a complex problem, for which no single section of society could be blamed.

She observed however, that there has been a straying away from attendance at church and being involved in organisations such as Girl Guides and Brownies and sporting endeavours once children leave primary school and go to the secondary school level.

Her comments came during a brief prize giving ceremony on Wednesday, for this year’s Winners’ Circle, a post Eleven-plus webinar series, aimed at preparing children, their parents and guardians for the transition to secondary school.

Madam Justice Barbara Cooke-Alleyne told Barbados TODAY, that though many persons may seek to blame the environment in homes for the rise in deviant behaviour by young persons and particularly young males, the true scope of the issue is not so clear-cut as bad influences can be found outside of their community.

“It’s a combination… they all come from the same society [but] different sections. You would find it in the schools but it also happens in homes where there would be issues going on; there may be parents who are using drugs so that the child is exposed to it [drug use] at an early age.

“It’s not only the schools but it’s the home as well. When you look at the pre-sentence report it tells us everything about the child’s background, education, home, neighbourhood, school, and you recognize that a lot of them do not go to church any more, or if they were active at primary school in sport, or guides, brownies, they are not doing that any more. There is a change when they get to secondary school. It’s important to get back involved in that kind of activity, and that can curb some of the problems that we have,” she explained.

Justice Cooke-Alleyne also revealed that a noticeable rise in cyberbullying incidents have been identified, and though the act may seem harmless to some, such activity can be brought before the law courts, whether they are grown adults, or children over the age of 11.

“Our use of the internet has increased, so cyberbullying is also one of the things that we are concerned about. We see the pictures going around, making viral of things that should not be shown about and could actually be crimes.

“I think they do not understand that aspects of it come under the Computer Misuse Act and they can be charged for that. It’s a lack of knowledge on their part, not recognizing that certain things they do online do fall under the act… If you do something to harass a person and they feel disturbed by it, just their feeling alone is enough to get the crime to be established.

Justice Cooke-Alleyne added that this year’s Winner’s Circle, which was supported by the Maria Holder Memorial Trust, was an all round success, stressing that it was important to prepare primary school students and their parents for the world of secondary school as the different environment not only brings wider opportunities for learning, but also more temptations in the form of illegal acts.

For the high court judge, all children deserve chances to make the right choice in life, and to understand the consequences of all their actions.

“Everyone wants to be in that winner’s circle… It does not have to be academic or sports, it’s just that you excel in doing what is right, making the right choice in your life, because right now for them their choices may have legal consequences. They need to recognize that and that every choice they make now leaves a digital footprint.” (SB)

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With two months to go before the official end of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, a leading insurance executive is again raising concerns about the absence of insurance on some properties and the insufficient coverage on others.

President of the General Insurance Association of Barbados (GIAB) Randy Graham said both scenarios spell trouble for homeowners when disaster strikes. Similarly, owners of vehicles covered only by third party insurance will also be faced with no insurance to fall back on in the aftermath of some unexpected weather or other event.

On a  positive note, Graham said current insurance rates are stable at the moment and there is nothing to indicate they will be going up this year.                                                                                 “I don’t know that they will be. There is nothing yet from the season itself to create a reason for any immediate increases. The rates in Barbados have been reasonable in spite of what the public may think. We haven’t seen any material increases in the rates in the last few years and don’t see that this season as it currently stands, will cause any increases. So you probably won’t see any significant increases in the premiums right now,” the GIAB head disclosed in an interview with Barbados TODAY.

However, the news is not comforting for those whose vehicles are covered by third-party insurance or whose residential properties are under-insured, particularly in the midst of the hurricane season.  “To be honest with you, the biggest thing that we keep concerning ourselves with is the number of houses in the country that don’t carry insurance. Even the ones that have insurance they are carrying them at the value for when they originally built or purchased the house

The value they are insured for doesn’t take account for inflation and they don’t take account for increases in rebuilding costs,” he explained.

“What we have seen after hurricanes unfortunately is that even when the policy is paid, what the clients have the house insured for is not enough to rebuild the house after the damage. In circumstances where you don’t have enough people in the country having bought property insurance to start with, or those who have it, don’t have enough cover, we are back in this vicious cycle of asking government to step in as a lender of last resort for households,” the insurance executive pointed out.

Graham said if many more people were to buy insurance, 90 per cent of the buildings in Barbados would be repaired through insurance companies after storm damage and the government would not have to intervene.

“Our concern is that we are not yet at that level. Too many houses are still not insured or don’t carry enough insurance,” he stated. Graham also said that it hurts when insurance officials have to see the damage after the storms and realise that some people cannot rebuild their homes due to inadequate or no insurance.

“It’s a drag when we see these things happening and you can’t do anything to improve the situation. Socially, we always try to look for ways to improve it, but it is difficult if we are not yet at the level where people are seeing insurance as a necessary purchase. So after the hurricane, we can’t respond in the way that we would want to because there is not enough insurance being bought,” the insurance industry leader contended.

Regarding insurance on motor vehicles, Graham said comprehensive coverage is alway the better option.

“The fortunate thing is if you have comprehensive motor insurance on your car and it gets damaged…we see it often when objects fall on the vehicle or there is flooding after hurricanes, they will be covered. The policy will cover you for that. If you have third-party cover though, the third-party cover does not cover your vehicle. It only covers if you hit somebody else [in a road accident].

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb

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Barbadians continue to benefit from the medical expertise of students and staff of the Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM).

On Wednesday, the Community Clinical Experience, an initiative of the RUSM and Forlam Foundation, continued its work to provide quality primary healthcare services in local communities, while partnering with Urgent Care Mobile and the Barbados Red Cross Society.

Clinics were set up at the Haynesville Community Centre, in St James and the Barbados Vagrants and Homeless Society (BVHS), Spry Street in The City, the Forlam Clinic in Carrington Village and the Barbados Family Planning Association.

Ross University’s Associate Dean, Dr Rhonda McIntyre, said the clinical experience which was recently launched has been designed to give students exposure to administering medical care in a community setting. She said students are expected to meet patients in communities and learn about what affects residents’ access to healthcare and what limits their ability to live healthy lifestyles.

“We have actually created a programme where we have students exposed to social determinants of health and we have students interact with community physicians and nurses within community centres to provide healthcare but also get to see a different side of the clinical healthcare. We know that medical students get to go to hospitals and clinics and they get the conventional experiences, but we want them to see what truly affects patients in their communities, and that’s why this programme was launched,” Dr McIntyre said.

The Associate Dean explained that almost all of the 400 students enrolled in the first semester of the 2022 to 2023 school year will be involved in the university’s Community Clinical Experience outreach programme. Each student will have at least three experiences to go into different communities, throughout the semester, she explained.

“As you see we actually focus on clinics and communities where we know access to healthcare could be an issue for patients. Urgent Care has been valuable for us in facilitating healthcare at some of the sites,” Dr McIntyre said.

Managing Director of Urgent Care, Dr Bandele Majeks, said the company was pleased to be partnering with Ross University to facilitate the community clinics in different areas across the island. According to him Barbadians have been experiencing difficult times, and even though there is free healthcare available through the state, everyone may not be able to access it.

“Urgent Care Mobile in particular, this is something that we have been doing since the launch in 2016. We have been out in the community seeing patients and we thought that this was a fantastic opportunity to be actually able to deliver healthcare for free for those who can’t access it. We have brought our mobile clinic which we have also had from inception and we are able to see patients in a private setting.

“As we speak, we were able to dispatch a team of our doctors and students into the community at a resident who wasn’t able to actually make it to the centre, that is someone who is immobile. What a great opportunity to be able to administer healthcare as well as participate in moulding the minds of future physicians,” Dr Majeks added.

Haynesville resident, Sonia Agard, who visited the community clinic, lauded the initiative which she said will meet the needs of those who are unable to get to the hospital or polyclinic, due to various factors.

“Like me for sure, I know I wasn’t feeling well and it came in very handy for me, Agard said. “It was interesting because I never went through anything like this. Normally I go to the clinic. They were very professional and I felt comfortable”. (AH)

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