Derek Achong
Outgoing President Paula-Mae Weekes has encouraged doctors and medical professionals to improve their leadership skills as the healthcare sector continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Delivering the feature address at a visionary leadership symposium hosted by the T&T Medical Association at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Learning Resource Centre yesterday, Weekes acknowledged the impact of the pandemic on citizens and healthcare professionals.
Weekes said, "The recent past has underscored the critical importance of carefully and deliberately building resilient, responsive, and flexible health and social systems.
"Setbacks occasioned by the long arm of the pandemic will be felt for years to come but we can attempt to strike some balance by being alert to and heeding the cry for change...If ever visionary leadership was needed in the medical community, it is now."
Weekes noted that the health sector was already in dire need of improvement before the pandemic as she noted that citizens were affected by long waits at hospitals as well as "confusing and complicated" administrative processes.
She also noted that healthcare professionals had to grapple with inadequate compensation, a lack of equipment, unacceptable working conditions as well as complaints from citizens over the level of care they receive.
"Our health institutions which provide life-saving care and treatment to citizens should be modern, functional, and well run as access to comprehensive healthcare promotes and maintains good health, reduces partial disability and death, and achieves a better quality of life to all individuals," she said.
Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences Prof Terence Seemungal, centre, poses for a photograph with third-year medical students at the Medical Association leadership symposium yesterday at the Learning Resource Centre, UWI, St Augustine.
NICOLE DRAYTON
Health Minister Terrance Deyalsingh began his address by calling on the modest audience to pay tribute to Weekes, whose term in office is about to end.
"Before I go further, may I thank you on behalf of all of us for your five years of service...and wish you all the best in the second half of your life," Deyalsingh said, as the audience obliged with a lengthy round of applause.
In his presentation, Deyalsingh used a series of examples of business and medical leaders, who he suggested exemplified the theme of the symposium, including Microsoft founder Bill Gates and South African pioneering heart surgeon Christiaan Barnard.
Deyalsingh encouraged the medical professionals present to leverage technology to reduce inequality. He also warned against compromising their integrity and ignoring the views of their subordinates.
"People will not follow you if you have no integrity," Deyalsingh said.
In his address, Dean of UWI's Faculty of Medical Sciences Prof Terence Seemungal encouraged senior medical professionals to use their leadership skills to help guide the next generation of doctors.
"Everyone recognises when you have teaching hospitals the standard of healthcare tends to be better," Seemungal said.
He also suggested that empathy is an important trait in the profession.
"Sometimes in over thinking about getting it right we overall care of the patient," he said.
Seemungal also sought to label Deyalsingh as a "visionary leader" as he commended him for soliciting and considering his and his university colleagues' professional opinions during the pandemic.
"I don't want to be accused of buttering him up but when he makes decisions, even though I might not agree with all, I feel it is a balanced decision," Seemungal said.
