Queen Elizabeth hospital reduces waiting times to a world-record low of 18 hours
SAINT MICHAEL, BARBADOS – Chief Executive Officer of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Neil Clark, announced a landmark achievement of reducing wait times at the Accident and Emergency department to a world-record low of just 18 hours.
Barbadians have been complaining for years about the long wait times at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, but thanks to the incredible stewardship of Neil Clark, they have reduced wait times to just 18 hours. Patients waiting in the Accident and Emergency department were overjoyed by the news as it was announced over a loudspeaker.
One patient, Sam Applewhaite, spoke enthusiastically about the reduced wait times:
I had to get muh leg chop off, and I real thankful to de crew at QEH. I only wait 18 hours, and dem fix up de waitin' room seats, fuh true! Time back, I wudda been squat on de floor in A&E, no chair in sight, but now dey got plastic chairs fuh we. Barbados out here runnin’ tings in patient care and comfort, boy. I gotta gie props to Auntie Mia for de upgrades at QEH.
However, not all patients were amused by the news. One patient said she had been waiting for over 36 hours to be seen:
I stub muh toe on de couch, so I here at QEH to mek sure it ain’t break, stupse, but I been waiting over 36 hours.
Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, applauded the Queen Elizabeth Hospital on the reduced wait times, and added that it was yet another clear sign that Barbados was well beyond half-way to becoming "world-class by 2030", adding:
The quality of our healthcare rivals that of the leading nations of the world. I am grateful to all the staff at the QEH for their hard work in reducing wait times so that Bajans no longer need to take an entire day off work to get treatment from the A&E department.