As the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) continues to battle lifestyle-related diseases, Jamaica is the first member state to benefit from colposcopes donated by the government of Spain to boost the country's capacity to detect early signs of cervical cancer. This special microscope, used to detect signs of cervical cancer, was presented to the eight member states which were represented at the training in Jamaica: Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, Dominica, Belize, Haiti, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, and Jamaica.

The presentation was made on June 19 at the closing ceremony of a five-day training of regional gynaecologists and obstetricians in colposcopy. This training, organised by the CARICOM Secretariat in collaboration with the University of the West Indies, is the first of a four-phase project fully supported by the government of Spain, as part of the CARICOM-Spain Cooperation Project on the Support for the Prevention and Control of Cervical Cancer in the CARICOM Region. Marta Mendez Diaz, deputy head of mission, Embassy of Spain, Jamaica, in presenting the colposcopes, noted that the region's sustainability was hinged on its health as was underscored in the CARICOM Nassau Declaration: The Health of the Region is the Wealth of the Region.

Source: CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana.

Keva Clarke is new David Bicknell scholar

Keva Clarke, a registered nurse at the Tony Thwaites Wing of the University Hospital of the West Indies, is the recipient of the 2009 David Bicknell Scholarship. The scholarship is named in memory of David Bicknell, one of the wing's founding directors.

The presentation was made to Nurse Clarke recently by Gary Shurland, human resource and purchasing manager of Tank-Weld Group Limited. The scholarship will cover all student-related expenses to the outstanding nurse. Nurse Clarke will pursue a six-month intensive care unit post-graduate course at the UHWI.

The scholarship assists in the development of a cadre of nursing professionals, as David Bicknell always emphasised the importance of excellent nursing care to the survival of the wing.

Shurland said the Bicknell family and the hospital wing were proud to be associated with the scholarship, which started in 2001. He said it was making a contribution to the development of a core of specialist nurses in Jamaica. He also made a plea for other members of corporate Jamaica to come on-board and give support.

In thanking the David Bicknell and Tank-weld families, Nurse Clarke, who has been working at the Tony Thwaites Wing for the past three years, said, "This scholarship will help to address the shortage in critical-care nurses because they are always in high demand. It will also equip me to deliver a higher quality and more efficient service. The hospital also benefits because more nurses become available to help meet its objectives in caring for critically ill patients."

Source: JMG Communications.