Patients of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s Respiratory Unit can breathe a little easier now that the hospital’s newly renovated Respiratory Unit has been reopened. This is in no small part due to generous donations from the Broadway to Barbados Charitable Trust and the Massy Foundation which each contributed $150,000 towards the Unit’s renovation and the procurement of much needed medical equipment; and the Rotary Club of Barbados West which donated $60,000 towards the cause.

First opened in 1989, the Respiratory Unit is responsible for the diagnosis and treatment of lung conditions and breathing problems, including asthma, lung disease, cancer, emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other respiratory disorders. Under the project management of Ms. Marisa Huque, building works on the Unit’s renovation consisted of the redesign of the space to significantly improve the workflow and ergonomics of the staff. This included the provision of a dedicated air condition unit for the Bronchoscopy Suite and the suite’s separation from the remainder of the department to comply with hospital infection prevention and control best practices. In addition to the reconfiguration of the space, the bronchoscopy suite was also outfitted with a washer and dryer for the bronchoscopes, a decontamination space was introduced; the unit was painted, and the floor refinished.

The Board of Management of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital wishes to express its sincere gratitude to the Broadway to Barbados Charitable Trust, the Massy Foundation and the Rotary Club of Barbados West for their profound sense of corporate and social responsibility, compounded by a keen desire to assist with the strengthening of healthcare services at the QEH, and by extension the country. Special acknowledgement must also be made of Quality Landscape Services, Landmark Building and Maintenance, TMR Sales and Services Ltd., and Oran Ltd, for their in-kind contributions towards the renovation of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s Respiratory Unit.