"A whole reorganisation of the plant, attitudes, human resource inputs and all [the] various elements has to be put in place," Estwick told the news media after his swearing-in Sunday night.

It could mean giving the Accident & Emergency Department at the hospital a more pleasing appearance and having a more humane outlook by the staff, he stated.

"When you go into Accident & Emergency . . . it is like, essentially, a graveyard – not even a plant, no decorations," he said. "So you start off, essentially, with a problem of where you interface with the public."

Estwick underscored the need for the new Government to restore public confidence in the health care system.

"Barbadians have lost confidence in the health care system in Barbados and part of that, I believe, comes from attitudes," he said.

"We have to go back to the drawing board, go back to the basics with respect to why you are there in the first place . . . in terms of providing care and, as a result, the care cannot be provided with any chips on your shoulder . . . .

"You have to go in there even if you are angry, even though you have had a bad day with your husband or whatever.

"Your job is to go in there and provide the highest level of care and ensure that people . . . feel that you are humane and that you are treating them with some measure of responsibility."

The minister conceded that his was going to be "a tough job because there are a myriad of problems" in the health care system.

However, he added: "I think that I understand the institutional systems within the health care reality and I also understand, basically, the problems from an administrative perspective."

He also said he could draw on the assistance of friends who held senior posts in the health care system or were retired from it.

"I have been in contact with many of the senior personnel, those retired, those nurses who have opted not to join the [QEH] board ... and we have been having discussions on how we can rectify this problem within the health care system," he reported.

"Ultimately, health is a fundamental plank that is necessary for any growth in development of Barbados, so it has to be put right."

About the last Government's proposal to build a $700 million dollar hospital near the QEH, he said the location might not be right, given the level of congestion in the area.
(TY)