Barbados Advocate
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Established October 1895 11-Plus US traveler date to be calls for announced quarantine soon freedom PAGE 2 PAGE 5 Tuesday May 25, 2021 $1 VAT Inclusive Gov’t focused on new governance PRIME MINISTER Mia Amor report at the end of September. and come back... But we Mottley says that efforts are on “We will await those reports, recognise that it goes beyond to develop a “new governance” but we are not simply trying to the legalistic framework, and it for the country,as she reiterated deal only with illegal vestiges goes to fundamental issues of the goal for Barbados to become that come with becoming a completing the process of the a republic. republic. We are also looking republic.” Wrapping up the Barbados at how we ensure that our Speaking more on the matter Labour Party’s virtual political identity and who we are, can be of governance, PM Mottley meeting on Sunday night held reinforced as we go forward to indicated that the Government under the theme, ‘Progress claim our destiny in this world has established a new Amidst The Challenges’, PM as a fully independent nation,” parliamentary commission, Mottley, in an address that she said. chaired by former President lasted just over 75 minutes, Mottley added, “And let us be of the Senate, Sir Richard noted that a Republic Transition clear, if I want to be able to offer Cheltenham, to review the Advisory Committee has been honours, or the Cabinet wants to country’s parliamentary formed to help plan and manage honour anybody in Barbados in arrangements “to see whether the transition from a the middle of November, under they suit a modern Barbados, monarchical to a republican the National Honours System, and if they don’t, how do we system, and has been tasked we can’t even do it. It has to go tweak it to get better results”. with providing an interim report to Buckingham Palace first, and Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley. by the end of June, and a final there’s no time left for it to go GOVERNANCE on Page 3 AG: Policing strategies put in place, but plans TACKLING CRIME will not be shared ATTORNEY GENERAL and the Royal Barbados Police Force Minister of Legal Affairs, by spending vast millions of Dale Marshall, is giving dollars to make sure that Barbadians the assurance they’re the best equipped small that there are strategies in force anywhere in the world.All place to address crime in of these things we have done this country, but he has in three years. COVID in, or made it clear that the details COVID out; ashfall, or no of those plans will not be ashfall; hard times or not, we revealed as they are matters have made progress amidst the of national security. challenges,” he stated. But, he promised he will be Speaking less than 24 hours speaking to the country “very after off-duty police officer, shortly in greater detail” on the Acting Station Sergeant matter of crime. Marshall was Newton Lewis, was shot and speaking from the Lester killed in his neighbourhood, as Vaughan School on Sunday he tried to thwart a robbery,the night, as the Barbados Labour AG maintained that illegal Party held a virtual political guns and crime are a problem in meeting to mark their third this country, and insisted that anniversary in office. Barbadians have a role to play “You know, everybody’s been in fixing the problem. saying, ‘Who are our political “While going to the rescue of opponents?’ ‘What is the plan?’ his neighbour, he was gunned And you start out by being a down by thugs who care nothing little foolish, because what for human life, who were driven boxer ever goes into a boxing only by greed, and how to get ring and tells his opponent easy money,” the AG lamented. where the next punch is coming Contending that the loss of from? Our policing strategies Lewis, who he described as a are matters of national security, hero, must not be in vain, he and the last Administration called on every Barbadian to chose not to share any with us, join us in the fight against crime and I reserve the right to share Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Dale Marshall. and if they see something, to say with Barbadians those things something. that we feel able to share. police officers to do their work,” the Government came to office, have been coming in for years Marshall continued, “This But for those of you who are he maintained. through the appointment of and years and years... We have fight against gun violence, cowardly and callously asking Marshall’s comments came as new judges; they have also invested in our judicial system, against firearm crime cannot for a plan, you will not hear that he stated that Government has installed a new scanner at the so that trials can go through be a spectator event with the kind of plan from me or from sought to put systems in place Bridgetown Port to stop illegal faster. We have increased the members of the public simply the Prime Minister or from to aid the police in the execution firearms from coming in. number of judges hearing crying out for the police to do any member of the National of their mandate. He said in “We are keeping the guns out criminal cases from two more, without looking inward Security Council, because addition to addressing the of Barbados. And yes, they are to five. We’ve increased the and asking ourselves the very policing is a specialised art backlog of criminal cases, on the streets, but they did not membership of the judiciary hard question, ‘What is my role and we need to allow our which numbered 1,000 when come in after May of 2018, they from 13 to 20. We’ve equipped in solving this problem?’” 2 • Tuesday May 25, 2021 The Barbados Advocate New A&E opening next month THE new Accident as big. of infrastructure will granted to the QEH to and Emergency (A&E) “There will be a new not on its own help the purchase items including Department at the screening and triage Government to achieve two oxygen plants, which Queen Elizabeth zone that will facilitate its goals and targets, he will save $1 million in Hospital (QEH) is ex- more clients. We’re mov- stated that steps have the purchase of oxygen pected to be opened ing from two stat rooms also been taken to re- bottles; a new distilled by the second week- to six. We’re moving from place end-of-life equip- water plant, which will end in June and it having one ambulance ment, and install new save $350,000 annually is promising to be a being able to be equipment that had been in the purchase of dis- modern, state-of-the- accommodated at the lacking for several years tilled water; [and] four art facility. Accident and Emergency across the system. new autoclaves and other With just a few weeks Department to four am- The health and well- equipment, completely to go before the facility is bulances at the same ness minister revealed upgrading our central able to welcome patients, time. There will be a new new point-of-care ma- sterilisation,” he stated. Minister of Health and paediatric emergency chines were installed Minister Bostic added Wellness, Lt. Col. Jeffrey room and they will be across all institutions, that neurosurgical mi- Bostic, has revealed that moving from two to four and new computers, croscopes and new dialy- the project is in its “snag- state-of-the-art, self- related equipment and sis machines have also ging stage” with the con- contained isolation services as well, to facil- been purchased. struction of the building rooms. This is what the itate the digital transfor- “But enhanced human complete and most of the Barbados Labour Party mation of our healthcare resources, improved in- furnishings in place. Government has been system. frastructure, and new With that in mind, he able to achieve,” he said. “The Queen Elizabeth and enhanced equipment told those tuning into the He indicated that in Hospital was provided are provided for one pur- Barbados Labour Party’s addition to the work done with $5 million to outfit pose and that is to facili- virtual ‘Stan Home at the QEH, refurbish- the Harrison Point facil- tate the programmes Political Meeting’ to com- ments were done on some ity with the equipment; that must be executed in memorate the third an- of the polyclinics and equipment that will be order for us to achieve niversary of their land- the St. Joseph and available to the QEH at our targets and our Minister of Health and Wellness, Lt. Col. Jeffrey slide victory, that the St. Andrew Outpatient the end of the pandemic. goals, including the sig- Bostic. new A&E will be double Clinics, which were both And a bit more, for the nificant reduction of the the size of the current earmarked for closure, first time in over 12 impacts of NCDs (non- facility, and the indoors have been updated and years, major investment communicable diseases) First batch of AstraZeneca and outdoors sitting expanded. Noting then in equipment to the tune in this country,” he areas will be three times that the refurbishment of $15 million have been stated. (JRT) vaccines almost gone BY today, the entire first those received from the batch of AstraZeneca COVAX Facility. There 11-Plus date to be announced soon Covishield vaccines, are only two polyclinics which arrived from India, which have any of that ANXIOUS students, will be fully used up.