On Tuesday, February 22, Barbadians joined in marking the 111th birthday of one of its most outstanding citizens, James Sisnett, BCH.
The milestone was celebrated with a luncheon hosted at the Hilton Barbados, by the National Committee on Ageing, in association with the Ministry of Social Care, Constituency Empowerment and Community Development.
During his feature address, Minister of Social Care, Steve Blackett, attributed Mr. Sisnett’s longevity to the “high quality of life in Barbados”.
“The high standard of living of which I speak, acknowledged by the United Nations Human Development Report, is no doubt also attributable to improvements in the level of health care in Barbados over the years. It tells us that, as a government, in spite of the many economic challenges which we face, we must continue to provide accessible health care for our citizens in order to combat the high incidence of chronic non-communicable diseases amongst us, and to ensure that more people reach old age in the best health possible,” Mr. Blackett stated.
In stressing the significance of the island’s centenarians, the Social Care Minister noted: “We have a rich heritage based on the contributions and sacrifices their generation has made to help Barbados develop to a nation we can be proud of.”
He further gave the assurance that the issue of population ageing is being addressed and disclosed “the Ministry of Social Care is in the last phase of preparation of a comprehensive and far-reaching Government policy statement which addresses all of the issues pertaining to the elderly.”
