CATEGORY: EDUCATION
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By S. Gordon


We would focus on health care services a growing need in today’s society.
The need for quality health care in Grenada has become a major concern. Users of our health care facilities have ever so often, been subjected to the lack of basic health care services and in some cases the quality of these services leaves a lot to be desired.

We are presently witnessing an increase in the operation of private health and geriatric care facilities in Grenada. A number of people have indeed recognized the need to improve on the quality of health care services available. These facilities however, can be very costly and as a result, the poor and elderly who are desperately in need of the service do not have the resources to make use of these facilities and so have to put up with the system available to them.

We have seen in industrialized countries, the rapid development of service standards for health care. One major factor contributing to this rise in service standards has to do mainly with the increase in sophisticated medical technology.

In the United States for example, the widespread use of health care cards is on the horizon. These cards contain comprehensive medical history of a person. If someone has an accident in New York, a doctor in that state could contact other physicians in other states, accessing information on the patient from different sources almost immediately. This service allows for the instant collection of information from various sources, saving days of precious time, energy and in some cases, perhaps saving lives.

Although we have a very long way to go before implementing services of that nature, we have seen the introduction of some similar services e.g. medic alert system.

We are not in a position to compete with the industrialized and even some developing countries in the variety and level of sophistication, of health care services offered, but we can certainly do a lot better in terms of the quality of service presently offered. From the person who is just visiting the doctor for a routine medical checkup to the critically ill patient; the premature baby to the elderly fighting to survive, should all have a right to confidentiality, safety, accuracy and efficiency from the providers of health care services in Grenada.

In this regards The Grenada Bureau of Standards has recently established a technical committee on the care and protection of the elderly who is currently working on a draft standard entitled the care and protection of the elderly, this draft standard came about based on recommendations made by the ministry of social development.

The standard sets out the minimum requirements for residential and nursing homes as well as guidelines for the care and protection of the elderly.



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