Queen Elizabeth Hospital

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) is Barbados’ primary acute care medical facility which provides emergency care on a 24-hour basis. Additionally, this 600-bed facility provides 94% of all hospital beds on the island and is a referral centre for patients from other English-speaking Eastern Caribbean states. It is also an accredited teaching hospital affiliated with the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the University of the West Indies (UWI).

Since its establishment in 1964, the QEH has undergone major improvements in its capability to provide care for the acutely ill, with the development of Medical, Surgical and Paediatric Intensive Care Units. While the institution continues to experience growth, many environmental changes have impacted on its operations.

Among the most important factors are the demographic changes in the population and changes in disease profiles which account for the growing demand for varying health care modalities. These trends, along with economic constraints present challenges in the QEH’s ability to deliver more innovative and pervasive interventions for health care delivery. The QEH currently provides specialist services in Paediatrics, which is supported by the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU); Medicine with its various sub-specialties; and Surgery. A health service for men is provided by the Urology programme, while the department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology provide complete women’s health services. The work of these departments is complemented by paramedical and clinical support services which provide diagnostic, therapeutic and social support.