Distinguished Family Physician to Receive CD on October 20

As Jamaica prepares to celebrate National Heroes Day on Monday, October 20, one of the distinguished individuals who will collect a national award is Dr. Alverston Bailey.

A family physician whose 45-year medical career embodies the principles of service, compassion and continuous learning, Dr. Bailey will receive the Order of Distinction in the Rank of Commander (CD), for his contributions to public health, medical education and community advancement.

“I accept the award from the Prime Minister and the Government of Jamaica with great humility. It speaks to the fact that service, integrity and community outreach is being recognised,” said Dr. Bailey, in an interview with JIS News.

Residing in Runaway Bay, St. Ann, but operating currently at 10 Water Square in Falmouth, Trelawny, Dr. Bailey’s path into medicine was guided by a deep curiosity about the human body and compassion for others.

After studying at the University of the West Indies, Mona, where he enrolled in 1975 and graduated in 1982, Dr. Bailey emerged as a versatile practitioner capable of diagnosing and treating a wide range of illnesses.

This training naturally led him towards family practice, where he could treat the whole person, rather than focus on a single area.

“As a family physician, my greatest satisfaction has been to see persons come to see me, and after a period of time, become well, especially when I relieve pain. So, the compassion that I have had from a child has remained with me throughout my 70 years of life,” Dr. Bailey outlined.

“So, it’s really compassion and a love of science, the desire to learn and to continue to learn, to help,” he added.

Over the years, his work has extended beyond the medical to academia and public engagement.

As an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Technology (UTech), Jamaica, Dr. Bailey taught occupational health and safety, sharing insights gained from his decades of experience. He is especially proud of the knowledge he has passed on to students to better prepare the next generation of health professionals.

Volunteerism has been a constant theme in his life, from chairing the St. Ann branch of the Jamaica Red Cross to serving on numerous national Boards, to include the University Hospital of the West Indies, UTech, the National Committee on Non-Communicable Diseases, and the Essential National Health Research Committee, among others.

His volunteer work with the Pesticides Control Authority (PCA) stands out as one of his most impactful contributions where he helped to guide policies on pesticide management and ensured safe practices among pest control operators.

“Another area in which I volunteered was at the University Diabetes Outreach Programme (UDOP). I was co-chair of that programme for 25 years, and that was a fascinating experience, because I was in charge of organising an international conference that dealt with diabetes care. It gave me an opportunity to really make an impact on diabetes prevention and management in the country,” Dr. Bailey pointed out.

He has chaired and presided over numerous organisations and even served as President of the Caribbean College of Family Physicians from 2002 to 2006.

During that tenure, he actively promoted continuing medical education, helped build a digital presence and developed evidence-based guidelines for the entire Caribbean. He also helped create networks connecting English, Dutch, and French-speaking Caribbean nations to improve healthcare delivery.

Dr. Bailey brought complex medical discussions to the public sphere through radio, first on Nationwide News Network and later on IRIE FM with the show, ‘On Sexwise’, where he tackled personal, emotional, and sexual health challenges.

“I have written a book because I thought that the knowledge base with respect to sexuality was limited in Jamaica. So, in 2014 I published a book called ‘Sexplanations: A Guide to Discussing Sex & Sexuality in the Caribbean’, to address sexual health issues, and it really enabled me to tackle the taboo of sexual health with cultural sensitivity,” Dr. Bailey explained.

For the years during the COVID-19 pandemic, he became a trusted voice for the nation by providing weekly updates to media houses on infection rates, treatment options, and vaccination efforts.

Now, in his senior years, Dr. Bailey remains deeply committed to personal and professional growth. He continues to live by the values that have guided him since childhood while embarking on new journeys.

He has taken up the guitar and immersed himself in poetry, writing an anthology of philosophical, psychological, ecological and romantic poems.

“The fact that I’ve been given this award indicates to me that the Government of Jamaica does recognise persons who are willing to serve, to serve their fellow man and serve the country and to serve their profession,” Dr. Bailey underscored.