Happy 56th Independence Barbados

Page 1

These Fields & Hills

A birth usually brings great joy, celebration and optimism. Those who bear witness to the happy event, whether present or afar, visualise a bright and promising future for the newborn, even if they harbour well-founded concerns and anxieties about its wellbeing in the years to come.

The birth of a nation is no different. On 30th November 1966, the newly independent Barbados took its first tentative steps into the world, citizens were bursting with abundant hope for blessings of prosperity, stability and harmony, though conscious of the potential for challenges and obstacles along the way.

On this day as we celebrate its birth, we can point to its many social ills, the current crime wave, the short-comings in our infrastructure, the buckling and impeded education system, our institutions, our faltering work ethic, disregard, in some places, of the environment, etc. – but on the other side of the national balance sheet, we must give ourselves positive grades as being a people, with a confident pride in ourselves. We, the nationals of this country, confidently believe that we are as good as the world’s best – and in many spheres, we have proven that we are.

In one of the most celebrated statements made by our father of

independence and national hero, the Right Excellent Errol Barrow, “We will not regard any great power as necessarily right in a given dispute unless we are convinced of this, yet at the same time we will not view the great powers with perennial suspicion merely on account of their size, their wealth, or their nuclear potential. We will be friends of all, satellites of none.”

Our national hero was clear in his determination of Barbados: we are nobody’s boss and nobody is our boss. Inherent in that is that the success of our ongoing Independence and now Republic venture lies solely on our doorsteps. We often look at developed countries and covet their progress and successes without considering their history, hardship and challenges in arriving at their present status. They did not mature overnight, and neither will we. If we are to reach their stage of development, we have to be prepared to learn from our mistakes.

juncture to take a collective deep breath and imagine what thanksgiving future independences should pay tribute to. Let us look at ourselves more reflectively.

At this juncture of national maturity let us repurpose the independence spirit to

fashion the country in ways that meet the challenges and changes for a different time.

As we celebrate our 56th anniversary, let us make every effort to tap into the dedication, aspiration and civic mindedness exercised so boldly by the witnesses to our nation’s birth, to rekindle the fires of hope and prayer that burned brightly in the hearts of every citizen on the eve of our Independence.

When we at ADVO envisioned this independence feature, the theme ‘These Fields & Hills’ came to mind. We believe it encompasses not only ownership and self governance but industry which underpins our ambitions; highlights achievements and plants the seed for new inspirations yet to be formed.

The team at ADVO extends

“These fields and hills beyond recall are now our very own…”

Our National Pledge

MIA AMOR MOTTLEY PRIME MINISTER OF BARBADOS SINCE 2018 FREUNDEL JEROME STUART PRIME MINISTER OF BARBADOS (2010 2018) DAVID JOHN HOWARD THOMPSON PRIME MINISTER OF BARBADOS (2008 2010) OWEN SEYMOUR ARTHUR PRIME MINISTER OF BARBADOS (1994 2008) SIR LLOYD ERSKINE SANDIFORD PRIME MINISTER OF BARBADOS (1987 1994) SIR HAROLD BERNARD ST. JOHN PRIME MINISTER OF BARBADOS (1985–1986)) JON MICHAEL GEOFFREY MANNINGHAM "TOM" ADAMS PRIME MINISTER OF BARBADOS (1976 1985) ERROL WALTON BARROW PRIME MINISTER OF BARBADOS (1966 1976) & (1986 1987)

PRIME MINISTERS OF BARBADOS

Barbados is fortunate to have been led by eight astute politicians during its first 56 years of nationhood.

They have all brought different styles and characteristics to the job but share certain commonalities such as discipline, courage, intelligence, trustworthiness and humanness.

Errol Walton Barrow

The first Prime Minister of Barbados and acclaimed the Father of Independence was the son of the late Reverend Reginald and Ruth Barrow (née O’Neal). He was born into a family of political and civic activists that included his uncle Dr Charles Duncan O’Neal, founder of the Democratic League and one of the island’s National Heroes.

Barrow, an island Scholar in 1939, and a World War II Royal Air Force navigation officer studied law and was called to the Bar in Barbados in 1950.

He joined the Barbados Labour Party soon after returning to the island but broke ranks and with a few other colleagues formed the Democratic labour party in 1955 and by 1961 was Premier.

He led the country into independence in 1966 and his tenure was marked by a significant transformation in education, health, social security, light manufacturing and regional cooperation that included the formation of the Caribbean Free Trade Area (CARIFTA) the forerunner to the Caribbean Community.

After his party’s defeat in 1976 Barrow registered a unique achievement in local politics when he returned to office in 1986 at the age of 66 he became Barbados’ only political leader to lead his party back

to the office after 10 years in the wilderness.

It was in that campaign for re-election that he gave in Independence Square one of his memorable “Mirror Image” speech, in which he rhetorically asked Barbadians what kind of future they saw for themselves when they looked in the mirror.

Jon Michael Geoffrey Manningham ‘Tom’ Adams

This country’s second Prime Minister Jon Michael Geoffrey Manningham “Tom “ Adams was the only son of Grantley Adams ( a lawyer, Premier of Barbados and the first and only Prime Minister of the Federation of the British West Indies ) and Grace née Thorne.

A Barbados Scholarship winner he studied at the University of Oxford graduating with a Master’s Degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics, He studied law and was called to the British Bar in 1965 and worked for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) before returning home,

He was elected to Parliament in 1966, became Opposition leader in 1971 and Prime Minister five years later.

His Barbados Labour Party capitalized on the electorate’s desire for a change in government following a rise in unemployment, inflation and charges of maladministration against the Dems.

Adams led the BLP to victory again in 1981 but the period following was marked by a series of economic and political challenges. The country entered an International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme and there was the US-led invasion of Grenada following the overthrow and murder of Prime Minister Maurice Bishop. This inspired him to form a Regional Security System.

He loved watching and reading about cricket and was also passionate about gardening and philately.

Adams died suddenly in 1985 at the age of 53 but his legacy lives on with the Central Bank Complex bearing his name. He was one

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE 7 ADVOMAG.COM

of the key drivers of Barbados’ efforts to become an international financial centre.

Sir Harold Bernard St John

Sir Harold St John served as the country’s third Prime Minister having succeeded Tom Adams on his untimely death in 1985.

“Bree” St John as he was affectionately known studied law in England before returning home in the early 1950s to build his legal career.

He had a see-saw political career starting In 1964, two years before independence, when he served as an Opposition representative in the first Senate of Barbados (1964-1966) which had replaced the Legislative Council.

He won his first attempt to represent Christ Church running on a Barbados Labour Party (BLP) ticket and becoming the senior member in what was then a doublemember constituency. His leadership potential was recognised by the BLP and in late 1970, he took over the party’s leadership following the resignation of Sir Grantley Adams.

But in the1971 general election, both he personally and his party were defeated causing him to step aside for Tom Adams.

Five years later he returned and was successful at the polls as the BLP won the election He became Deputy Prime Minister in the new BLP administration a position he retained after the 1981 re-election.

In 1986 St John was again defeated at the polls and his party was rooted leading to him stepping aside for Henry (later Sir Henry) Forde, St

John was nominated to the Senate before being re-elected to the House of Assembly in 1991 where he served until his retirement in 2003.

Sir Harold is credited with pushing the services sectors, tourism in particular and the off-shore financial business.

He was knighted in 1994 for his outstanding service to the country. He died on February 29, 2004.

Sir Erskine Lloyd Sandiford

Sir Lloyd Sandiford was an erudite politician who served as the island’s fourth Prime Minister of Barbados from June 1 to September 7, 1994.

He did his undergraduate studies at the Mona campus, in Jamaica and received his Master’s degree in economics and social studies at Manchester University, England.

In 1967, one year after independence, he was appointed to the Senate by the Democratic Labour Party and served in the Cabinet. In the 1971 election won a seat in the House of Assembly.

His relentless push to establish the Barbados Community College remains his crowning achievement since it was done against much opposition and criticism. A later decision to build the Sherbourne Conference centre met with much hostility and was condemned by opponents as a white elephant before it

was completed. Today it bears his name.

When the DLP won the 1986 general election Prime Minister Errol Barrow named him as his deputy and he stepped into the top position following Barrow’s sudden death in 1987.

Sandiford’s time at the helm of government was a tumultuous period culminating with a number of his own parliamentarians turning against him. He survived a no-confidence motion brought against him in 1994 by the Opposition that was supported by some of his team.

Sandiford called elections two years before they were constitutionally due, but lost to the BLP led by Owen Arthur. He remained in parliament until 1999 and taught economics and Caribbean Politics at the BCC.

Sir Lloyd who served as Barbados’ first resident ambassador in Beijing, China from 2010-2013 was knighted for his service to the country.

Owen Seymour Arthur

Owen Seymour Arthur is a Barbadian politician who was Prime Minister of Barbados from 7 September 1994 to 16 January 2008. To date, he is the longestserving Barbadian Prime Minister.

He was the Leader of the Opposition in Barbados from 2010 to 2013 and he died in July 2020 age of 70.

He led the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) to victory in the 1994 general election and won general elections again in 1999 and 2003. In the 2008 general election, his party

NOVEMBER 8 ADVOMAG.COM

was defeated and Arthur stepped down as party leader but remained the Member of Parliament for St Peter. He subsequently returned to lead the BLP in 2010, but he was replaced as party leader after the BLP lost the 2013 general election.

In July 2014, Arthur resigned from the BLP and continued to serve in the House of Assembly as an independent.

He did not seek re-election in the 24 May 2018 General Election.

Arthur is the story of the boy from the village who made good of his educational opportunities and rose to the top political post on the island. He was educated at All Saints Boys’ School, the Coleridge and Parry School and Harrison College before doing his undergraduate and postgraduate studies in economics at the University of the West Indies.

David John Howard Thompson

David John Howard Thompson was the sixth Prime Minister of Barbados from January 2008 until his death from pancreatic cancer on October 23, 2010.

He was born on Christmas Day 1961 in Britain but came to Barbados as a child.

Thompson completed his secondary schooling at Combermere, securing a Barbados Exhibition in 1979 and subsequently studied law at the University of the West Indies graduating with honours in 1984.

He excelled in the cut and thrust of debate and public speaking and catapulted the youth arm of the Democratic Labour Party into the national limelight between 1980

-82.

Following Prime Minister Errol Barrow’s untimely death in 1987, he successfully contested the by-election in St. John which he represented until his own death.

Mr Thompson’s first Cabinet appointment was in 1991 when he was made Minister of Community Development and Culture. From 1992 to 1993, he was switched to the Ministry of Finance as Minister of State, and between 1993 and 1994 he assumed full responsibility for that Ministry.

After his party’s defeat in th2 1994 polls, he became Leader of the Opposition but stepped aside until he was re-appointed in 2006 when he set about putting his stamp on the DLP. His efforts turned around the fortunes of the DLP and it regained office in January 2008 when it won 20 of the 30 parliamentary seats.

His ”Families First” pro gramme, initially focused on his St. John constituency was aimed at re-establishing and re-as serting the family unit as the paramount unit in the overall development of communities.

Freundel Jerome Stuart

Freundel Jerome Stuart became the seventh Prime Minister of Barbados when he succeeded David Thompson, who died in office. From an ordinary working-class background, Stuart studied for and obtained a B.A. honours degree in Political Science and History from the Cave Hill

Campus of the University of the West Indies in 1975. He subsequently did his legal studies and was called to the Barbados Bar in 1984. He joined the Democratic Labour Party in 1970 and entered elective politics in 1994, in the St. Philip South Constituency when he was successful and remained in Parliament until 1999. He lost that seat in the elections of that year switched riding, and returned to Parliament after the 2008 general elections, which saw the Democratic Labour Party recapturing the reins of government and his being appointed Attorney general and Deputy Prime Minister. Prior to that, he served in the Upper House (Senate) from 2003 to 2007. He led the DLP to a narrow victory in the 2013 general elections but was at the helm when it suffered a humiliating 30-0 defeat in May 2018.

Stuart who has a flair with words was severely criticized following his defeat for not engaging with the public in a consistent manner even as the country faced consistent downgrades by the international rating agencies.

Mia Amor Mottley

Mia Amor Mottley has registered a number of firsts in her political life - first female leader of the Barbados Labour Party and the Opposition; first female Attorney General and youngest ever Queen’s Counsel in Barbados and the first person to lead a party to win all elected seats in Parliament, not once but twice.

On 25 May 2018, Mottley become the eighth Prime Minister of Barbados and the first woman to hold the post.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE 9 ADVOMAG.COM

Mottley was born on October 1, 1965, and is a lawyer by profession having been called to the Bar of England and Wales and admitted to practice in Barbados in 1987.

Mottley is the granddaughter of the late Ernest Deighton Mottley who was the first Mayor of Bridgetown.

When she entered elective politics in 1991 when running on a Barbados Labour Party (BLP) ticket in St. Michael North East she was narrowly defeated and subsequently sat in the Senate as one of two Opposition representatives.

After the party’s victory in 1994, she was appointed Minister of Education, Youth Affairs and Culture and elevated to Attorney General and Minister of Home Affairs in 2001 while becoming Deputy Prime Minister two years later.

With her side being defeated in the January 2008 elections she became the Opposition Leader but the appointment was revoked In 2010 following a shift in support of five of her Parliamentary colleagues to former Prime Minister Owen Arthur. But she regained the position after the party suffered a second defeat in 2013.

Interview with Ernesta Greaves

Bath, St. John Photo Credit : Watergate Media

Glimpses of Barbados’

Tilly lamp Porcelain basin, hewed with potty or ‘Poe’ Antique couch would
be found in most front houses Monkey used for storing water
Antique lamp (type unknown)
An aluminum tub and jucking board for washing clothes. The tub was also used for taking a bath A 1757 map of Barbados show districts and population by parish Rediffusion the only source for news back in the day with the monkey and lamps
home lamp
Antique rocking chair
Home sweet
Barbados’
Antique rocking chair
Social Hisotry

Fairchild Street Bus terminal was renamed and is now the Granville Williams Bus Terminal.

Done at the beginning of October 2022, the tribute, in honour of the late Spiritual Baptist Church leader, Archbishop Granville Williams who often held meetings in that location, was an attempt to recognise the cultural and spiritual contributions that he made to the island.

In her address in Golden Square Freedom Park, Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw, said that it was one way the Government was attempting “to redress some of the imbalances in the presentation and the interpretation of the value of our heritage, to reflect on our true diversity”.

Barbados has a UNESCO World Heritage designation, “but it is hard to find visible evidence of the contribution of the enslaved people or of their descendants”. She added that the ceremony was a fitting tribute to a son of the soil as Barbados charts a new course as a Republic.

“We moved Lord Nelson… The renaming of the bus terminal is part of this move to address the imbalance and to put in place more symbols representative of our shared heritage.”

There is currently an ongoing competition to allow Barbadians to determine what would be put in the place where Lord Nelson statue stood.

The unveiling of the plaque was done by Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw, Minister with responsibility for Culture, Dr Shantal Munro-Knight, and MP for The City, Corey Lane.

Through the years the Sons of God Apolostic Church performing the stations of cross through communities in the city, became synonymous with the celebration of Easter, and in 1978 in recognition of the impact which Granville was having across communities, the then Minister of Culture, Sir Louis Tull, invited the Spiritual Baptist Church to participate in the opening of the Crop Over Festival.

It was here that the movement was also invited to play a role in the Crop Over festival. The renaming was the fulfillment of a promise by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley made at the removal of the statue of Lord Nelson in 2019.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE 21 ADVOMAG.COM

Golden Square Freedom Park

The historic Golden Square Freedom Park was officially opened Saturday afternoon in November a few days before Barbados became a Republic.

In a colourful, cultural, celebratory two-hour ceremony, the two-acre Freedom Park was officially opened by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley.

Located in the heart of Bridgetown, it is where the Right Excellent Clement Payne delivered one of his most important public speeches in 1937.

The National Hero was said to have held meetings to encourage poor and disadvantaged Bajans to demand better working and living conditions.

The National Hero, Payne, is quoted in one of his speeches saying “I am going to make this spot the mecca of organisation on this island. Bad things have been said about Golden Square, but I have found my services better appreciated here than elsewhere in this island.”

Payne was deported from Barbados in 1937 and it was followed by a historic four days of rioting where a number of people were killed and injured.

However, it is reported that this event caused action, as investigations were carried out on the

conditions in the British Caribbean colonies including Barbados and many of Payne’s suggestions were said to be implemented.

Freedom Park has a number of features which include the Builders of Barbados Wall where surnames of people who live and/or lived on the island are inscribed. There is Memorial Wall which has items used during the 1930s, the Shards of Life and large Clay boulders to depict the 1937 Riots.

Located throughout the park are also historical facts that are written on plaques.

There are also road tennis courts present, to honour the indigenous sport of Barbados along with places where board games can be played.

Also present at the opening of Golden Square Freedom Park were president elect and former Governor General Dame Sandra Mason, Chief Justice Sir Patterson Cheltenham, Opposition Leader Bishop Joseph Atherley, and Members of Cabinet.

FOR SALE Breezy Hill St. Philip 3 bed 2 bath with 2 bed apt 6,007 sq ft $310,000 negotiable caribbeanpropertiesltd@gmail.com All enquiries to (246) 253 6319/ 280-0023 or (246) 247 4469 The Garden St James Family home 6 bed/4bath on 25,000 sq ft $1.6M Welches Heights St Thomas 5 bed 4 bath, 7,527 sq ft $998,000 Wanstead, St. Michael 3 bed 2 bath 7,780 sq ft approx $400,000 negotiable Mullins Terrace St Peter Property: Three townhouses US$525,000 - US 545,000
All-two - both Chune - a song Behind god’s back - far distance usually in the country or rural area Crappo - frog All ah wanna - everyone in the group Back chat - a disrespectful reply Below - to the left or right of a property Bawl out - shoot or curse Big rock - to stand up someone Blista blind - to curse someone Duppyghost/spirit Cat boil - a sty under the eye lid Fall away - to lose weight Mob-a-ton - an excessive amount

History’s page

Barbados Largest contingent for 2022 Commonwealth games

Barbados sent a large contingent to the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham England. It included a Cycling team, Triathlon, cricket, gymnastics, Judo, table tennis, boxing, badminton, swimming, squash, netball and Athletics. This made it one of the largest contingents for a major multisport games that Barbados has ever sent.

They were 42 females and 23 males athletes on the squad to compete across the 12 disciplines represented and when the officials, coaches and managers were added the tally came up to 99 members on the team.

It was the first time for female cricket and Barbados opened with a surprising victory led by their captain and West Indies captain Hayley Matthews in the T20 format.

It was athletics which returned with the best results with a gold silver and bronze thanks to Sada WIlliams (400m), Shane Brathwaite (110m H) and Jonathan Jones (400m).

This year there was also the Caribbean Association of National

Olympic Committees inaugural Caribbean Games and Barbados sent a team which included swimming, judo, track and field and Netball.

Jonathan Jones sets three national records

Men’s 400m national record holder and Commonwealth bronze medal winner Jonathan Jones has had a successful season. Making the world Championship final in Eugene Oregon and then placing third in the 400m with a time of 44.89 secs at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

He started off his season running the longer event of the 600 yard and the 800m. He then replaced the 400m national record which he had held after it had stood for 23 years to set a new mark of 44.43 secs at a Big 12 Conference in Texas.

His time at the Big 12 Indoor championships in the 600 yard of 1:06.68 minutes is also a national record.

He also broke the oldest Barbados record which was the 800m that had stood since 1976. Jones ran 1:45.83 minutes to replace the old mark of set by Orlando Greene of 1:46.24.

The record breaking time came at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays in March.

Sada Williams shines in 2022 with

World Championship and Commonwealth medals

Sada Williams the senior women’s 400m national record holder competed at three (3) major championships and won a medal at all three in 2022.

The 2021 Barbados Olympic Association female athlete of the year and People choice recipient has followed from her 2021 season with a sensational performance in 2022.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE 27 ADVOMAG.COM

history’s page

below 50 secs she was floored initially laying on the ground but the next time she was standing.

She went on to win the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 49.90 secs, and two weeks later she won silver in 49.86 secs at the NACAC Championships in the Bahamas behind the World Champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo.

She finished the 2022 season having run below 50 seconds four times and was honoured on her return to

elimination at the Caribbean Track Cycling Championships in Trinidad while finishing second in the Madison event with Sutherland.

Joseph won a gold medal in the scratch race and two silver medals (the Omnium and the points race) at Pan American Cycling Championships in September.

Our National Dish

Ingredients :

Okras 3/4

Corn meal 1/4 cup

Fish (fillet)

Onion 1

Tomato Herbs (thyme)

Pepper

Lime Salt

Butter (mello kreem)

Method

In a small saucepan place one and one half cups of water, add a little salt put on stove to boil.

Wash the okras, Dice grate or cut and set aside

Cut the onion and half a tomato and set aside

Place fish in a cup of water adding lime juice and salt, set aside.

As the water boils add okras cooking under moderate heat and uncovered. Cook till soft then lower heat

Fish

Rinse the fish and in a frying pan add water, place the fish first, then on top cover with onions, tomato, herbs. Add butter, squeeze the juice from the lime over and add pepper (black pepper or fresh pepper)

Cook under moderate heat, covered until cooked

Cou Cou

In a small bowl place the corn meal, add water to liquify, about a 1/4 cup

Stain the water separating the okras

Return the liquid into the saucepan add the cornmeal stirring until the mixture starts to thicken

As it has thickened add the okras stirring until smooth and without lumps

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE 31 ADVOMAG.COM

Cou cou A Bajan national dish

Today we celebrate our island’s 56th Anniversary of Independence and the 1st year as a republic.

Advo magazine shares one of the national dishes, Cou Cou. For persons 40 years and older they would have many memories of this dish which was cooked by Mummy or Granny. They will also recall that during their child hood, Cou Cou was primarily a Satur day meal. As a child from watching its the preparation the tasked seemed la borious, with Gran or Mum standing over the pot using a Cou Cou stick, a flat wooden stick, to mix the corn meal and okras together until all lumps were removed and the meal has come to gether and was smooth and mellow.

As you think about those days, you would remember what fish or meat was served with this meal. It was one of these fish, pork, salt fish, mackerel, liver, called in Bajan vernacular, ‘hard slip’. One critical thing about this dish is that it must be served with ‘nuff, nuff’ (meaning a lot) of gravy, the Cou Cou must be ‘swimming’, lol.

The cooking of this dish has waned in recent times to the extent that many young people rarely eat or even like Cou Cou now. Some say it has been re placed by macaroni pie.

For all those who are willing to try it, today we share with you the process and method for preparing our unique meal.

NOVEMBER 32 ADVOMAG.COM

WITH EXPECTATIONS GREAT: THE FUTURE OF HEALTH CARE IN SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES

The entire globe has been hostage to a pandemic of gargantuan extremes. From the largest nations to the smallest island, we all bore witness to what an infinitesimal virus can do to a population and its re sources. But if there is a positive this pandemic can point to, is that it became a mother of invention and adaptation in the medical field. It brought into crisp focus how vulnerable a species we are, but it also ushered an accelerated collision between medicine and technology to effect a reasonable solution and a road map away from masks and lockdowns.

On the occasion of Barbados’ 56 anniversary of independence and the first year of being a Republic, in this tiny island we fondly call ‘Bim’, and to a wid er diaspora of developing Caribbean nations, what can we reasonably expect the future of medicine and health care over the next 10 to 15 years to look like.

To be clear, there are many innovations and dis coveries that are theoretical and only available in the most technologically advanced hospitals in first world countries. What this article will attempt to crystallize are the advances that will filter down first and have the most significant effect on our daily liv ing as it relates to access to medical care through this

new convergence of health and technology.

Robert Ford, the CEO of Abbott Pharmaceuti cal industries said earlier this year; The fundamen tal promise of technology is that it allows us to live a better life. This is where health and technology come together with incredible power. Cutting edge science is paving the way for new treatments that we could barely imagine just a few years ago.

Slowly but surely, doctors will realize the inter connectivity of organ systems on the cellular level and realize the crucible of ill health resides in the individual cell itself and its organelle components, more specifically the mitochondria. They will re alize that the preservation of a healthy functional mitochondrial population, from your mid 30s on wards, in addition to being more acutely aware of one’s gut Biome (intestinal bacterial flora) status is critical, while at the same time stressing strategies to reducing the presence of chronic inflammation. This switch in focus to cellular health and main taining optimal blood flow, will become the basis of reducing non communicable diseases and ex tending one’s lifespan.

At the individual level, consumers will become

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE 33 ADVOMAG.COM

increasingly connected to the ex panding network of apps, devices, and services to better expand and manage their health actively. Con sumers will take a more active role in their health at home. People will self-monitor their own heart rate, blood pressure, blood sugar and dietary habits with the revolution in wearable technology in asso ciation with the growth of the In ternet. Such wearable devices are already on the commercial market and provide additional data such as sleep quality and duration, the like lihood of an infection or ovulation, based on minute changes in body temperature. In addition to carry ing technologies externally they will also likely see patients wearing them internally too via the use of sensors called smart bodies.

Meanwhile, at the clinic level, we are likely to see the utilization of the medically informed ‘chat box’, providing patients with informa tion and directives. These wearable and implantable technologies can be designed to monitor the param eters of various diseases. They are likely to make a significant contri bution in the transfer of data to a remote center, directing the patient to take specific actions based on in coming data or automatically per form a function based on that data.

Nanomedicine and Stem Cell Technology

Nanomedicine is the medical application of nanotechnology for example the use and application of materials with sizes in the nanome ter range. As medicine evolves, the use of nanomaterials or nanoparti cles to transport and target drugs into the body. Without the use of

nanotechnology, certain drugs would either not be absorbed or, alternatively, would be nat urally excreted. It is anticipat ed that the use of nanomate rials for diagnostics and drug delivery will play a much larg er role than they currently do.

Future physicians, even here in the Caribbean, will likely be manipulating cells at the molecular level, and this will further tap into opportu nities for a personalized ap proach to medicine. When it comes to stem cell medicine the technology is still in its in fancy, but it is predicted to play an important role in the future of medicine. In the realm of organ transplantation, the ad vent of 3-D bioprinting with the utilization of stem cell technology could entail the manufacturer of new biolog ical materials. Human organs will be grown in the laboratory and the need for organ dona tion will be negated.

What’s likely to have the most immediate effect is an increasing reliance on tele health. The patient will be come comfortable with talking to a virtual physician on a screen instead of relying on a living breathing healthcare professional before them. The individual will become more increasingly connected to the expanding network of infor mation with improved access to, and control over his own patient records. What this will translate into is more health equity through technology. The health care disparities be

tween the haves and have nots will blur, as the sharing in the common language between providers and patients matures.

The future of health care in small island developing states, however, will not be linear. In oth er words, there will be periods of static plateau followed by multiple, significant exponential spurts in medical technology and its deliv ery. It will require a populace will ing to accept change and forward seeking governments eager to gain an alternative advantage with both communicable and noncommuni cable diseases.

References: Nicola Williams PhD University of Leeds. Michael Notarbartolo IR biotech

Dr.DerekB.Thorpe

Dr. Thorpe is a nuclear medicine andfunctionalmedicinephysicianwith post graduate degrees from Cornell SchoolofMedicineandtheUniversity ofFlorida.Hementorsclientsthrough theketogenicdietandtreatspainand injury throughoptimisation of blood flow.

mongo505@hotmail.com |(246)244-9555

NOVEMBER 34 ADVOMAG.COM

Advo Montage

Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.