Health

The Pink Ribbon Charity Montserrat is calling for unity in compassion, hope and shared commitment to supporting those affected by breast cancer. This call comes at the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, observed annually during October. In a message, President of the Charity, Sonia Charles reflected on the significance of the month, encouraging persons to make their support visible through action. She shared that events in October are in “honour of those who have lost their lives, stand beside those undergoing treatment, celebrate survivors, recognise the families, caregivers, healthcare workers who offer support every day.” The charity invites persons to support the following activities: Wednesday, October 28, at 3pm on ZJB Radio for Talking Health with the Health Promotions Unit. Wednesday, October 28 – Charity Dinner from 6.30pm. Friday, October 30 – Pink Friday Saturday, October 31st – Annual Charity Walk.

Nationals in the diaspora continue to make headlines in their various fields of work. This time, it’s the turn of registered Nurse Iris Lake-Ryan, more fondly known as Iris Amah Lake. She has added another proud achievement to more than three decades of dedicated nursing service, receiving the internationally-recognized DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses at Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital in New York City. The announcement of the Daisy Award honouree for this quarter was made on Wednesday. The DAISY Award recognizes nurses internationally for the extraordinary and compassionate care they provide to patients and families, in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. For someone who has devoted much of her life to caring and advocating for others, the recognition carries special meaning for Lake-Ryan. She described herself as “shocked, grateful and a tad overwhelmed,” thanking the person who nominated her, the selection committee, Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital and the DAISY Foundation, while giving God the glory. For more than 30 years, Lake-Ryan has worn her nursing uniform with passion, purpose and an unwavering commitment to her patients. Now serving as Assistant Nursing Care Coordinator on a Cardiac Care Step-Down Unit, caring for people is at the heart of who she is. Lake-Ryan’s journey in nursing was built on a strong educational foundation. After beginning her education in Montserrat, Iris continued her studies in Canada and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Dawson College in Montreal in 1992 with a degree in Nursing. That achievement marked the beginning of a career that would span decades of bedside care, leadership and patient advocacy. Lake Ryan is passionate about ensuring that her patients are treated with dignity, listened to and given the quality of care they deserve. That same passion has made her a strong advocate for safe patient care. She has stood alongside fellow nurses calling for adequate staffing and healthcare standards that allow nurses to give their patients the attention and care they need. Throughout her journey, Lake-Ryan has held firmly to a principle she often shares, that is “To whom much is given, much is expected.” The DAISY Award is another proud milestone in a career defined by education, compassion, advocacy, service and a genuine love for nursing. ZJB News joins the myriad of congratulations to Montserrat’s own Registered Nurse Iris Lake Ryan.

Minister for Health Dr the Honourable Ingrid Buffonge is asking residents of Montserrat to take personal responsibility for their health as a way of controlling the cost of healthcare in Montserrat. Dr Buffonge said the Government does not have the financial resources to fully fund healthcare for residents like the United Kingdom’s National Health Services (NHS) Scheme. She said this makes it important for individuals to take greater responsibility for maintaining their health and planning for future healthcare costs. Dr Buffonge said the “conversation about health financing has been happening for over a decade and in discussions with PAHO over many months, including their recent visit, the reality is that the government of Montserrat does not have money to commit to paying for the health care of Montserratians as they do in the UK. We’re not about to send our tax dollars to the UK as much as many of us would love so that we here can become part of the health service.” Dr. Buffonge explained that the “move is really to ask patients to take responsibility for their health. So on the one hand, that means making sure you’re getting exercise, you’re eating the right things, you’re getting your medical appointments, you’re preventing the complications of NCDs if you do end up with an NCD so that your overall health care costs are going to be reduced so that you’re not likely to get a heart attack or a stroke and require an expensive medivac.” Dr. Buffonge would like see within the student population, persons becoming insured. “So you’ve just come out of secondary school, you’re going into employment, you do not yet have hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, and all of these things are going to stop an insurance company from insuring you. So you get your insurance then. And the insurance company will be happy because they’ve got another 30 years of you paying them before you actually need them in a big way.” She said the Ministry of health is  “going to have a series of conversations with the main insurance provider here and with insurance providers. What exactly does this mean in terms of covering the cost of health care for people? So in countries where everybody is insured, where health insurance is mandatory, the death rate is low. People can afford care. Governments can afford to provide care for the people. So it’s a big deal. And so for me, for the students, it’s not just about their actual education learning process and the outcome of that, but also their sense of belonging, their ability to be well in this country, what it’s going to be like for them 20 years from now, 30 years from now, if they decide to stay.”

Premier and Minister of Finance the Honourable Reuben T. Meade has confirmed that the new hospital will be equipped once completed. Speaking at a public meeting in Salem he announced that the government will allocate 5 million dollars as funds become available. This is in addition to 4 million dollars which were already allocated. Premier Meade told the audience that the government is unable to reduce taxes on fuel as the funds are needed for purchasing this critical equipment for the hospital. He said the Ministry of Health “will have the funds to provide the critical equipment and then later on in the year depending on how the budget is going, we will be in a position to provide the rest of the money.” Premier Meade responded to claims that the government is collecting additional fuel taxes, saying “yes, we have to collect the additional taxes because that’s where the money is going to come from. So, if you give off the taxes in terms of fuel subsidies, as you and your team have been proposing, we would not be able to generate those additional funds.” He says Montserrat cannot afford to follow other islands like Antigua which were “subsidizing fuel to the tune of I think either $1.50 or $2.50 per gallon. It is now costing [them] $40 million in lost revenue which [they] cannot afford. Montserrat cannot go along that line. We follow prudent fiscal management here in Montserrat and in spite of all the criticisms you and your team may wish to make, we will continue prudent fiscal management.”

Pink Ribbon Charity Montserrat has announce its programme of activities for October 2026, bringing together breast cancer awareness, breast health promotion and an expanded focus on diabetic foot health and podiatry services. This year’s programme encourages residents to take a proactive approach to their health. Breast health checks and mammograms are available throughout the year, and women are encouraged to speak with their doctor about annual breast health checks and mammograms. Persons wishing to book a FREE mammogram at the Belmont Clinic in Antigua may WhatsApp or call 496-7465, or WhatsApp +44 7960 480505. A special feature of this year’s programme is Feet for Life: Podiatry Clinics, an initiative highlighting the importance of foot health, particularly for persons living with diabetes. Activities will include the Feet for Life: Podiatry Symposium on Monday, October 26 at 6:30 p.m. at the Salem Community Resource Centre, along with Podiatry Clinics from October 26–31 at the same venue. On Wednesday, October 28 at 3:00 p.m., Talking Health on ZJB Radio will focus on Breast Cancer Awareness and Podiatry Clinics, giving listeners an opportunity to learn more about the services and activities being offered. The programme will also feature a Charity Dinner at Olveston House on Wednesday, October 28. Guests will have an opportunity to meet the podiatrists at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $150 and go on sale September 15, 2026. Tickets will be available from Olveston House, telephone 491-3942, and Saje Café, telephone 495-2233. On Friday, October 30, Montserrat is invited to celebrate Pink Friday. Residents are encouraged to wear something pink and decorate their offices and business places in pink, creating a visible island-wide show of support for breast cancer awareness. On Saturday, October 31, the October programme concludes with the Breast Cancer and Diabetic Foot Health Awareness Glow Walk — A White T-Shirt Affair. The walk begins at 6:00 p.m. from the Lookout Community Centre and finishes at Little Bay. Participants are asked to wear a white T-shirt for safety and better visibility during the night walk. Pink glow accessories will represent breast cancer awareness, while blue glow sticks will promote diabetes awareness and highlight the importance of diabetic foot care in reducing avoidable amputations. Pink Ribbon Charity Montserrat Inc. invites the entire community to participate in the October activities, support the charity’s work and, most importantly, make breast and foot health a priority. Save the dates and join us throughout October 2026. More details will be announced soon.