Dr. E. Anthone Ward
Public Hospitals Authority Bahamas
Director of Pharmaceutical Services at the Supplies
Dr. E. Anthone Ward firmly believes that ‘Of all forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking and inhumane’ (Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 1966). To this end, he has pursued every opportunity to assist in the development of programmes and initiatives that endeavour to ensure the highest quality of healthcare services is delivered to the public.
Dr. Ward has greater than two (2) decades of national and international experience in areas relating to health systems development, healthcare services delivery and developing strategies to overcome barriers/burdens to accessing healthcare services.
Having conducted health research and matriculated in universities within the United States of America, Canada and the United Kingdom, Dr. Ward attained extensive knowledge, understanding and skills with regards to the diverse features and function of the health system in these countries. Most notably, his enhanced knowledge of health systems has enabled him to provide valuable insight pertinent to efficiencies and inefficiencies – particularly the extension of services to underserved populations. During Dr. Ward’s early career at the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) in Nassau, Bahamas saw him working with a US Consultancy Group as the Bahamian liaison on a Quality Improvement Project and gained firsthand knowledge relating to many of the operational deficiencies and areas of service requiring improvement.
Dr. Ward received an In-service award from PMH to study as a full-time Ph.D. Researcher at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom. As a PhD researcher, he conducted an in-depth study on Equity in the Provision and Use of Healthcare Services in The Bahamas. Dr. Ward’s study involved a critical analysis of the health system in The Bahamas with an aim to assess the degree of equity in the provision and use of public and private healthcare services (outpatient and inpatient) together with determining existing barriers and burdens to care. His thorough understanding of public health services management and the operational issues associated with social insurance health systems has enabled him to apply innovative methods in examining healthcare delivery throughout The Bahamas.
1
During his fifteen (15) years of service as the Director of Shared Services at the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA), Dr. Ward was able to develop Business Cases for the restructuring of the Materials Management Directorate and Bahamas National Drug Agency – coordinating the various tendering exercises of the PHA together with serving
as the Deputy Chairman of the Drug Tender Selection Committee. In similar manner, he also composed Requests-for-Proposals and Position Papers for PHA services and products. As Director of Shared Services, he assisted in the development of various Policy documents for the three (3) public hospitals and the public health system of The Bahamas which provided him with extensive experience in the management of healthcare services at the facility and systems level.
Dr. Ward’s interpersonal skills and creativity have also been challenged and enhanced as a key team player on various infrastructural projects within the three (3) public hospitals in The Bahamas. As a member of the Executive Advisory Committee overseeing the construction of the Critical Care Block (CCB) Project at the PMH in 2014, he worked closely with internationally recruited design teams, medical equipment and health planners during the phases of design, development and implementation of the CCB Project.
Since 2024, Dr. Ward has served as Director of Pharmaceutical Services at the Supplies Management Agency of the PHA – coordinating the processes for tendering, selection and acquisition of pharmaceutical products throughout the public health care sector together with identifying and facilitating the development and implementation of system improvement strategies for the efficient and effective delivery of pharmaceutical services.