Barbados is exploring the possibility of getting training from Israel for doctors and nurses working with dialysis patients.
It was among the matters discussed when Minister of Health John Boyce looked at the ways in which this country could benefit from Israeli expertise in public health, during a recent courtesy call with Israeli Ambassador to Barbados, Mordehai Bivas.
The ambassador said a similar programme had been ongoing in Guyana for several years, where doctors and nurses either went to Israel for training or benefited from the expertise of visiting Israeli medical professionals.
Boyce said Barbados would particularly welcome the training in peritoneal dialysis, which would allow for a greater number of dialysis patients to be treated at home and monitored by health professionals.
According to Acting Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr Kenneth George, there were 12 patients on peritoneal dialysis, while another 260 patients were on hemodialysis at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and private clinics.
The minister said Barbados would also welcome assistance in increasing the number of dialysis machines in the public health system, since the current equipment was in constant use.
Ambassador Bivas also informed ministry officials that his government was offering 25 scholarships to Caribbean and Pacific countries, over a five-year period, for persons interested in pursuing a Master’s Programme in Public Health.
Boyce welcomed this initiative, and further urged the Ambassador to explore the possibility of offering one-year internships for graduating doctors in rotations of general medicine, surgery, obstetrics/gynaecology and paediatrics.
The ambassador, who is based in New York, promised to follow up on all the matters discussed and said he looked forward to working closely with health officials in Barbados, as well as the rest of the region.