Slbmc Medical – By Deslyn A Joseph
Slbmc Medical Director Outlines
Dr. Shivon Belle-Jarvis, Medical Director of the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre (SLBMC) and Consultant Pediatrician, provided a comprehensive update on the hospital’s operational state, clinical milestones, and ongoing systemic hurdles during an appearance on State Media’s “Government in Motion” programme earlier this week.
Dr. Belle-Jarvis highlighted the immense pressure placed on the nation’s sole public hospital by sharing key performance data from 2025.
“Between January and November, the facility managed a massive volume of services, including 668,000 samples processed by the laboratory and over 30,000 patients registered in the Emergency Room, with over 80 percent successfully seen.
“The Outpatient Clinic attended to 25,000 patients from January to September, while radiology conducted approximately 37,000 investigations, covering X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, and mammograms. Additionally, the hospital provided 10,307 dialysis treatments and performed over 2000 surgeries to date,” she added.
The Medical Director emphasized that the main public hospital has prioritized human resource development by investing EC $147,000 in professional staff training during 2025. This investment supported overseas conferences, short courses at The University of the West Indies, and specialized training for 60 Emergency Room (ER) staff members in the Emergency Severity Index to improve patient categorization. Furthermore, over EC$11,000 was dedicated to consistent customer service training for frontline staff to ensure a better experience for the public.
“The year 2025 marked several medical firsts for the institution, including a partnership with Trinidad Eye Hospital that resulted in over 1,200 surgeries and the first-ever retinal surgery in a public hospital in the region,” she stated.
The SLBMC was also certified as an Essential Stroke Center by the World Stroke Organization.
In pediatrics, the hospital launched its first newborn hearing screening program following the 1-3-6 model for early detection and intervention. The ER now features five physicians specialized in emergency medicine and the hospital’s first pediatric emergency specialist in its 16-year history, while a gynecological oncologist has been formally contracted to treat cancers on a monthly basis.
The facility’s hyperbaric chamber has also provided eight decompression treatments for patients suffering from the bends, Dr Belle Jarvis shared.
As the facility approaches 17 years of operation, the Medical Director noted that the infrastructure and equipment require a significant overhaul. Last year, the hospital spent EC $1.5 million on maintenance, with a strategic shift toward preventative maintenance to combat wear and tear.
Despite these advancements, Dr Belle-Jarvis addressed persistent challenges regarding wait times and bed availability.
“A primary factor straining capacity is the presence of social cases, referring to elderly patients who no longer require acute medical care but remain hospitalized due to a lack of family support or suitable placement,” she said.
She added that as many as 17 social cases have occupied hospital beds simultaneously — a trend that often spikes during holidays such as Christmas, summer, and long weekends, significantly reducing the beds available for incoming emergency patients.
