NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Two Bahamians made their editorial debut this International Women’s Day in a publication of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School.
Dr Shamanique Bodie-Williams and media professional Tosheena Robinson tackled the pandemic’s impact on cervical screening tests for Bahamian women in their article “Screening Inequalities during COVID”, featured in the latest edition of the digital journal MGH Global OB/GYN Newsletter.
Aside from providing patient care and training for its Harvard-affiliated physicians, a mission of Mass General Global OB/GYN (obstetrics/gynecology) is to address topical healthcare issues for women throughout the world. The goal is to enhance knowledge about the diagnosis and management of obstetrics and gynecologic diseases unique to resource-poor settings both domestically and abroad.
In the latest issue, Bodie-Williams and Robinson highlighted the plight of two young mothers battling cervical cancer.
“Prior to the pandemic, only 10 percent of women seeking care in The Bahamas’ public health system received cervical screening tests,” the authors wrote in MGH Global OB/GYN Newsletter.
“With the onset of the coronavirus disease, pap smears have fallen to an all-time low, with very little being done to increase the rate of screening.
“Preventative care, including women’s reproductive healthcare, and the efficient management and timely treatment of all other diseases have taken a backseat to the war on COVID.
“It’s a decision The Bahamas may very well come to regret long after the pandemic’s final wave has washed over this island nation.”
Bodie-Williams, an OB/GYN, works as a consultant physician in Grand Bahama’s public health system and operates private clinics on Grand Bahama and New Providence.
“I was extremely honored and humbled by the invitation to author a piece for such a prestigious publication,” she said.
“MGH provided The Bahamas with an opportunity to brief our global counterparts about a challenge that’s quite likely faced by countries throughout the region and other developing nations.
“Given the decreased screening capacity and the lack of timely follow-ups of abnormal Pap smear results, The Bahamas could find itself facing an increase in patients with late-stage cervical cancer. It’s vital that we create a plan for such a scenario.”
To write the article, Bodie-Williams decided to team up with Robinson, the 2020 winner of the Bahamas Press Club’s PAHO-WHO Excellence in Health Promotion Award.
A trained media professional and an award-winning journalist, Robinson holds a master’s degree in mass communications from Middle Tennessee State University. She is the founder of the public relations agency Precision Media.
Both graduates of Kingsway Academy’s Class of 1996, the women worked together previously on other editorial projects.
“Shamanique received an amazing opportunity to bring global awareness to a critical women’s issue. She didn’t need to collaborate, but she opened a door and I was happy to assist her in sharing her knowledge from the field,” said Robinson.
“As the country slowly returns to pre-pandemic norms, it’s of the utmost importance that we clear up any backlog of women’s reproductive healthcare cases in the public health system.
“The last thing anyone wants to see is a cervical cancer diagnosis become a death sentence for yet another woman in The Bahamas.”
Stacked with relevant information about The Bahamas, the latest issue of MGH Global OB/GYN Newsletter also features “The Bahamas at a Glance” section, artwork from Bahamian visual artist Angelika Wallace-Whitfield and further reading suggestions.
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