Hospice Development
Health
Since 2002, the World Health Organization has been urging member states to integrate hospice and palliative care into their health care systems and it has become standard in the global north, but much less so in the global south.
The Barbados Situation
Several demographic and social factors, such as the aging population with fewer relatives to provide care, looser family ties, time constraints on working families and the high cost of elder care point to the need for residential hospice.
Currently in Barbados, limited hospice and palliative services are provided in the home and at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, but there is no formal free-standing residential hospice option for terminally ill patients. The Barbados Ministry of Health and local cancer advocacy organizations all agree that hospice services would be greatly enhanced by such a project.
The plan is for a 14-bed, free-standing facility in a quiet, serene setting. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed construction, but fundraising has resumed, the Barbados government has approved a long-term lease for a property at Coverley, Christ Church, and construction is expected to start in the first quarter of 2026.
LINKS TO RELEVANT ORGANIZATIONS
Barbados Cancer Association USA (BACA). Inc.
http://www.barbadoscancerusa.org
Barbados Association for Cancer Advocacy (BACA Barbados)
Barbados Association of Palliative Care
http://www.barbadospalliative.org
American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine
http://aahpm.org
International Association of Hospice and Palliative Care