The Ministry of Health on Wednesday launched its toll-free 915 suicide prevention hotline, saying the “crucial lifeline” was being supported by emergency responders. “If you call the hotline and they recognise that somebody is in crisis, then they have a rapid response team that would actually go out and get to that person and work ...

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The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) has temporarily scaled back surgical services as it undertakes major upgrades to its Main Operating Theatre’s air handling system and supporting equipment.

The hospital announced in a statement on Wednesday that it is in the process of replacing, redesigning, and upgrading the Air Handler Unit (AHU) system, while also addressing technical issues with the chillers that support the AHU.

Completion of the project is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, May 21, 2025, weather permitting and barring unforeseen delays.

During this period, only emergency and urgent surgeries will be performed at the QEH. Some procedures have been relocated to the Obstetrics Theatre, and the hospital is working with partner institutions to conduct elective surgeries offsite where possible.

In a statement, the QEH assured the public that these adjustments are necessary to improve the reliability and efficiency of its surgical services.

For further assistance, patients may contact the QEH Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS/Help Desk) at 536-4800.

The works being carried out are part of the hospital’s $130 million Capital Expenditure (CapEx) Programme for 2025, which is aimed at modernising its infrastructure and improving care delivery.

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Fifty new beds have been delivered to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) and are being installed across wards as part of efforts to reduce bottlenecks in the Accident and Emergency Department, CEO Neil Clark confirmed Monday.

He said the beds, which replace broken or outdated ones, will also allow for better patient movement from A&E, which saw another weekend of overcrowding.

“Some of the beds on the wards are quite old and broken and needed replacing,” Clark said during the final episode of Pulse radio show. “Hopefully it will create some additional capacity for A&E.”

The bed upgrades forms part of what Clark described as a “delivery phase” at the QEH, following months of reviews and groundwork aimed at improving patient care, modernising operations, and addressing longstanding frustrations with wait times and staff conduct.

Among the changes being implemented are a new electronic bed management system, a revised discharge policy with estimated dates for patients, and the recruitment of additional nurses and doctors. 

He further shared that a full review of patient flow through A&E has also been completed, with recommendations now being acted on.

Clark did not mince words in addressing ongoing complaints from patients about poor treatment, stating, “If a staff member is not providing support to a patient or a family member, they really have to think about what kind of organisation they’re working in.

“And if a supervisor or manager doesn’t tackle the individuals, that’s equally unacceptable.”

He also acknowledged that hospital staff sometimes face abuse from patients, but said QEH workers must remain professional and compassionate.

The hospital CEO further noted that delivery in 2025 also includes major steps in digitising hospital systems. 

Digitisation of medical records has started, and the QEH has completed evaluations for a new health information system. 

Tenders are also out for a new HR system to replace the current paper-based setup used for its nearly 3 000 staff.

Clark said over 450 pieces of medical equipment are being procured with funds from the hospital’s capital programme and that key projects such as the linear accelerator for cancer care, the Lions Eye Care Centre upgrades, and the multi-storey infectious disease centre at Enmore are moving ahead.

“We’ve been super busy, but what people really want to see is delivery,” he said. “That’s what we’re focusing on now — not talk.” (SM)

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Doctors are warning that every minute counts – at least no more than 180 – for people experiencing a stroke, as new figures reveal persistently high incidence rates and a lack of urgent action is putting lives in jeopardy.

Consultant neurologist Dr Simeona Jacinto revealed during the season three finale of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s Pulse radio show on Monday that Barbados records approximately 1.4 strokes per 1 000 people, with 70 per cent of cases linked to high blood pressure and one in three patients also diabetic.

She stressed that stroke is the leading cause of long-term disability in the Caribbean and the second deadliest condition globally.

“The earlier you come for management, the more likely we can limit brain damage,” Dr Jacinto said, urging the public to remember the FAST acronym – face drooping, arm weakness, speech difficulty, time to call 511.

“The best stroke treatment is prevention – but if a stroke happens, act fast and call for help immediately.”

Consultant Emergency Physician Dr Anne-Marie Cruickshank. (FP)

Further underscoring the severity of the condition, consultant emergency physician Dr Anne-Marie Cruickshank, who heads the QEH Accident and Emergency Department, warned that doctors have just a three to four-hour window to administer life-saving treatment.

“Once symptoms begin, every second counts. The ambulance is your best option – they alert us ahead so we can be ready the moment you arrive,” she said.

The doctors also dispelled dangerous myths still common in the community, including the belief that strokes cannot be treated or should be managed at home with old remedies like nutmeg or Bible readings.

“We’ve moved past that,” Dr Cruickshank said. “We now have treatments like thrombolysis that can prevent further brain damage and even reverse some of the deficits.”

She also encouraged the public to enrol in emergency response training offered by the Heart and Stroke Foundation, including Heart Saver and Basic Life Support (BLS) courses.

“We need more people trained and more instructors. Public involvement is crucial,” she said. 

(SM)

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In the past year alone, 13 CARPHA Member States reported over 2,569 suspected and 1,295 laboratory-confirmed dengue cases — a 16% increase over the previous year

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The news triggered a shutdown of cattle, horse and bison imports along the southern border, as U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins announced in an X post on Sunday.

"Due to the threat of New World Screwworm I am announcing the suspension of live cattle, horse, & bison imports through U.S. southern border ports of entry effective immediately," she wrote in the post. 

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"The last time this devastating pest invaded America, it took 30 years for our cattle industry to recover. This cannot happen again."

The NWS is a fly that is endemic in Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and some South American countries, according to the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

While the flies themselves are found in forests and other wooded areas, they will seek hosts like cattle or horses in pastures and fields, per the above source.

A female fly lays eggs in a wound or orifice of a live, warm-blooded animal. The eggs then hatch into larvae (maggots) that burrow into the flesh, causing potentially deadly damage.

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Screwworms are named for their maggots’ behavior, as they burrow into the flesh similar to how a screw is driven into wood.

"Maggots cause extensive damage by tearing at the hosts’ tissue with sharp mouth hooks," according to the APHIS website. This can then enlarge the wound and attract more flies to lay eggs.

In rare cases, the larvae can feed on people, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states.

These infestations can be very painful and can cause serious, potentially fatal damage to their hosts by causing myiasis, a parasitic infection of fly larvae in human tissue. 

Screwworms are often found in South America and the Caribbean.

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"People who travel to these areas, spend time among livestock animals, sleep outdoors and have an open wound are at greater risk of becoming infested with NWS," says the CDC.

People who are immunocompromised, very young or very old, or malnourished are also at a higher risk of infection, the above source stated.

Those who have had recent surgery are also at a higher risk, "as the flies will lay eggs on open sores," according to the CDC.

If another outbreak were to occur in the U.S., "pets, livestock, wildlife and even humans may suffer and die from screwworm myiasis," the USDA warned.

The USDA estimates that livestock producers in the southwestern U.S. lost between $50 million and $100 million annually due to NWS in the 1950s and 1960s until it was successfully eradicated.

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"Presumably, these higher losses in the Southwest were due to higher livestock populations, larger geographic area and/or greater potential for NWS to overwinter," stated the report.

While the USDA eradicated NWS in 1966, there was an outbreak contained within the Florida Keys in 2016. It affected only in the endangered deer population and was eradicated by March 2017, per APHIS.

Greg Wehner of Fox News Digital contributed reporting.

On the heels of President Donald Trump’s Monday announcement of an executive order that will slash prescription drug prices in the U.S., the spotlight is on current costs and how much Americans could save.

The president’s order calls for "most favored nations drug pricing" — which means "the lowest price paid for a drug in other developed countries, that is the price that Americans will pay," he said.

"Some prescription drug and pharmaceutical prices will be reduced almost immediately by 50 to 80 to 90%," Trump said. 

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Katy Dubinsky, a New York pharmacist and founder and CEO of Vitalize, applauded the move to reduce prescription prices, noting that Trump’s order tackles a long-standing problem.

"But this will not be simple to accomplish," she told Fox News Digital. 

"The executive order doesn't reduce costs immediately," she said. "It directs government agencies to start drafting the rules, which may take months."

Here are the five most expensive prescription drugs in the U.S. by price — followed by five by volume.

Dubinsky detailed some of the most expensive prescription drugs in the country today and what conditions they treat.

1.  Lenmeldy (atidarsagene autotemcel) by Orchard Therapeutics – $4.25 million

This medication is used to treat metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD), a rare genetic disorder that damages the nervous system, Dubinsky said. 

"It is given once and is supposed to stop or slow down the disease in young kids," she noted.

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2. Hemgenix (etranacogene dezaparvovec-drlb) by CSL Behring – $3.5 million

This medication is prescribed for people with hemophilia B, a bleeding disorder. 

"This one-time treatment helps the body make its own clotting factor, so patients don’t need regular infusions," said Dubinsky.

3. Elevidys (delandistrogene moxeparvovec-rokl) by Sarepta Therapeutics – $3.2 million

This prescription medication, intended for young boys, treats Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a condition that weakens muscles over time. 

"It aims to slow down how fast the disease progresses," Dubinsky said. 

4. Skysona (elivaldogene autotemcel) by Bluebird Bio – $3 million

"This medication is used for cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy (CALD), a serious brain disease in boys," said Dubinsky. "This therapy tries to slow the damage before symptoms get worse."

5. Zynteglo (betibeglogene autotemcel) by Bluebird Bio – $2.8 million

Zynteglo is for beta-thalassemia, a blood condition that usually requires regular transfusions. 

"This gene therapy can help patients make healthy red blood cells on their own and reduce how often they need treatment," said Dubinsky.

John Stanford, executive director of Incubate, a Washington-based coalition of early-stage life-science investors, shared his thoughts on the top five most expensive drugs by sales volume.

"Typically, when the government is focused on the most expensive drugs, they're focused on the metric based on sales volume rather than, for instance, a rare disease therapy with a high list price but smaller patient pool," he told Fox News Digital.

"Often, officials are focused on total drug spending by Medicare or other government programs."

1. Keytruda (pembrolizumab) by Merck — $25 billion revenue (2023)

Keytruda is an immunotherapy medication used to treat a variety of cancers, including melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer, liver cancer and others.

"Keytruda has become Merck's crown jewel, helping the company expand its cancer treatment portfolio with more than 1,000 active clinical trials," Stanford told Fox News Digital.

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2. Eliquis (apixaban) by Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer — $18.95 billion

Eliquis (apixaban) is an "anchor drug" for both BMS and Pfizer, according to Stanford.

Apixaban is prescribed to prevent the formation of blood clots and to treat deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism (a blood clot in the lungs). 

3. Ozempic (semaglutide) by Novo Nordisk — $13.93 billion

Prescribed for type 2 diabetes, the semaglutide medication Ozempic has become widely popular for its weight-loss effects and other health benefits.

"Ozempic's sales are powering Novo Nordisk's broader foray into GLP-1s for obesity, heart disease and liver conditions — all areas with high development costs and uncertain scientific outcomes," Stanford told Fox News Digital. 

"The money has gone toward scaling up production to meet demand for GLP-1s and avoid supply shortages."

4. Humira (AbbVie) — $14.4 billion (U.S. 2023 revenue)

"Humira has been one of the highest-grossing drugs in history, generating over $200 billion during its exclusivity period," Stanford said.

The injectable medication, which contains the active ingredient adalimumab, is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory conditions.

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5. Biktarvy by Gilead — $11.85 billion

Biktarvy is an HIV treatment that includes the three ingredients bictegravir, emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide.

"Biktarvy isn't just a leading HIV treatment — it's the financial backbone for Gilead's move into cancer research," Stanford said.

Dr. Jacob Glanville, CEO of Centivax, a San Francisco biotechnology company, said vaccines and most generic drugs would not likely be changed by the executive order.

"Most vaccines that Americans take cost less than a hundred dollars, while generic drugs are often less than a dollar a pill," he told Fox News Digital.

What would be affected, Glanville predicted, are newer brand-name drugs still under IP exclusivity, antibody therapies, cellular therapies, gene therapies and personalized cancer vaccines.

"Some of these are excruciatingly expensive — $100,000 to $500,000 for a treatment course for a patient. However, they are also often the most effective treatments for certain cancers, autoimmune disorders or rare diseases."

The pharmaceutical industry might argue that lowering the prices on these medicines will result in a "dramatic reduction of investment" in creating such breakthroughs, said Glanville.

The industry may also argue that these medicines eventually become generic — at which point the prices drop, according to the expert.

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"From a patient’s perspective, the price of medical care in the United States is unsustainable, and extremely expensive medicine is part of that," he said. But "the insurance system and the hospital business also contribute."

"If the prices of new medicines are capped, then effort should be made to reduce the cost of clinical trials and drug GMP manufacturing. Otherwise, we will lose a lot of innovation."

Greg Norman of Fox News Digital contributed reporting.