World Pediatric Project collaborates with Shaw Centre for Pediatric Excellence

The World Pediatric Project (WPP) is placing a strong emphasis on capacity building this year by implementing different auxiliary projects to improve the knowledge and skill set of local and regional medical practitioners in efforts to amplify the quality of our pediatric healthcare systems within the Caribbean.

The Shaw Centre for Pediatric Excellence (SCPE) presented the opportunity, for the first time, for one non-Barbadian to receive co-sponsorship to further their education in pediatric nursing. Being the hub of operations for their tertiary pediatric healthcare programs, WPP found it opportune that St Vincent and the Grenadines should be the first to take advantage of this and made recommendations for local Staff Nurse Ann Cyrus to pursue as well as offering to co-sponsor her journey.

Nurse Cyrus works at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH) and has excelled in the field of nursing for over 15 years. With the help of WPP during her application process, she was accepted into the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus and will travel to Barbados to pursue a one-year Postgraduate Diploma in Pediatric Nursing.

She expressed her excitement to embark on this journey, “It is with greatest pleasure I accept this scholarship from WPP. This opportunity will improve my skills and knowledge in caring for children on the illness-wellness continuum here in St Vincent and the Grenadines and by extension the wider Caribbean.”

Viola Richardson, Senior Nursing Officer at MCMH says “WPP has made history again in SVG by giving the opportunity to one of our nurses to pursue studies at UWI… This is just another training program provided, among the regular training programs provided throughout the year for our health care providers.”

She continued, “Let me take this opportunity on behalf of the Ministry of Health Wellness and the Environment to thank WPP for their valuable services to the healthcare system and people of SVG.”

Upon completion of her program, Nurse Cyrus will return to SVG to apply her enhanced knowledge at the MCMH.

Dr. Clyde Cave, the Barbados Program Director for SCPE says “We are delighted to join forces with WPP, MCMH and the Government of SVG to provide this learning opportunity for a Vincentian nurse who will be big part of the future growth of health services available for children.”

Executive Director for the Caribbean at WPP, Lauren McIntosh-Shallow also expressed her delight in having the chance to collaborate with SCPE in offering this invaluable opportunity, “This training component is part of our Capacity Building initiatives in order to build sustainable models of care in the region. With St. Vincent and the Grenadines being WPP’s surgical hub in the Caribbean, this enhanced skillset and training will benefit not only Vincentian children but will also extend to children from the region as well as other nurses and healthcare providers in pediatrics”, said McIntosh-Shallow.