DR Alverston Bailey, president of the Medical Association of Jamaica (MAJ), has been elected as a fellow of the Caribbean College of Family Physicians (CCFP).

Bailey, an active member of the college since 1988, was selected at the third Pan Caribbean Family Physicians conference held in Nassau, Bahamas on November 14 last year.

He was elected regional president of the Caribbean College of Family Physicians in September 2002, a post he held until July 2006. Soon after assuming leadership of the Jamaica chapter in 2000, Bailey – with the assistance of Dr Sonia Roache-Barker – began to modernise the college. And he was instrumental, with the help of Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC), in the development of the www.caribgp.net website.

The MAJ head was also a key player in the development of the CAREC-initiated physician-based sentinel surveillance system, a collaborative effort between four Caribbean centres.

It was that achievement that allowed him to realise his dream of physicians performing office-based research of a high standard, while collaborating through modern technology to influence health care delivery in the region.

Bailey has been a member of the Caribbean Association of Medical Council (CAMC) Examination sub-committee representing regional physicians since 2004. He also played a pivotal role in developing the CAMC curriculum and establishing core competency guidelines for regional physicians.

He spearheaded the establishment of CAMC refresher courses for those sitting the CAMC exams, which was well received by the candidates.

In September 2004, another of Bailey’s dreams was realised when the CCFP was invited by the World Organisation of Family Doctors (WONCA) to become a member of WONCA of the Americas.

He represented the CCFP as the first elected member to represent the Caribbean at the WONCA council meeting held in Orlando, Florida. It was an experience he describes as being one of the proudest moments of his life when he realised the Caribbean college had received the recognition it deserved.

Bailey has also represented the college in Curacao at the NASHKO Annual Symposium and at the first Regional WONCA of the Americas meeting in Vancouver, Canada.

The medical association, meanwhile, said Bailey’s love for the college remains deep and committed and that he has, at his own expense, redesigned and maintained the website for the past two years. This has helped to ensure the flames of Caribbean integration and co-operation remain burning.

“He pledges to remain steadfast in his commitment to the mission, vision, values and objectives of the college as a trustee and feels quite assured that his successor will carry on his rich legacy,” the MAJ added.