Statement by Dr. Duane Sands
Minister of Health
Today we mourn the passing of Dr. Baldwin Carey, who served the Ministry of Health and the country with distinction for many years as a senior consultant in OB/GYN and as a public health expert in the Department of Public Health, Ministry of Health.
Following completion of his studies at St. Andrews University in Scotland, Dr. Carey practiced in the University of Vienna and Denmark. He received his Master’s Degree in Public Health from the University of California, with a specialization in International Health, Population and Family Health.
Dr. Carey was known internationally for his work with Family Planning and Family Development He served in many academic positions at Martin Luther King General Hospital in California and served on many committees addressing women’s health. He was a member of the special Task Force, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation in Washington, D.C.; the Caribbean Family Planning Association; Quality Assurance Task Force of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Washington, D.C.
Dr. Carey returned to The Bahamas after a distinguished career in academic medicine at Drew University in California to chair the Committee that was responsible for the implementation of the curriculum for Family Life and Health Education Programme in public schools.
Dr Carey was a very skilled Obstetrician and Gynaecologist whose professional demeanour was warm, comforting and disarming with all persons he met in his practice and the community at large. His wonderful disposition made him very popular not only with expectant mothers and their families, but with all persons across the life circle. He was regarded by his colleagues as an expert Obstetrician and Gynaecologist in the country.
In 2000, he was appointed Director of Public Health and led the Public Health team to all islands across the archipelago as he guided capacity building and infrastructure development for the Department of Public Health, Ministry of Health. He then joined the staff of the National
Insurance Board as Consultant and continued to lead the development and improvement of the public health infrastructure throughout the Family Islands, in particular, the mini-hospitals in Exuma, Abaco and Eleuthera. He also represented The Bahamas as a delegate at a number of international and regional meetings including Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Assembly.
He was passionate about the implementation of universal health care coverage in The Bahamas. The country now mourns the passing of a very senior consultant in Obstetrics & Gynecology who made an invaluable contribution, not only to the introduction of the Family Life and Health Education in The Bahamas, but also to the delivery of quality maternal and child care.
The staff of the Department of Public Health are particularly saddened and remembers him as a warm and gentle person who enjoyed working and interacting with staff at all levels in all the islands he visited.
The Ministry of Health family extends our heartfelt condolences to his wife Annette, his children, Dr. Gregory, Sonja and Nicole and extended family members.
May his soul rest in peace
For Immediate Release
Ministry of Health
Nassau, The Bahamas
7 th July, 2017
