The Chief Medical Officer, Dr Ayoola Oyinloye, recently stepped down as the Chief Medical Officer for personal reasons. Dr. Oyinloye took over as Bermuda’s new Chief Medical Officer, following the retirement of Dr. Cheryl Peek-Ball on August 31st 2020.
Dr. Oyinloye previously served as the Deputy Director of Public Health and Consultant in Public Health for Swindon Borough Council, in the United Kingdom. He is an experienced epidemiologist, and was steeped in managing the pandemic in his community in the United Kingdom.
Dr. Oyinloye trained as a doctor at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria and had his postgraduate training in the Universities of Ibadan and Liverpool (UK). He is a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health (UK).
Minister Wilson said, “I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for Dr Oyinloye’s incredible contributions during his time at the Ministry of Health. His dedication, hard work, and positive attitude have left an indelible mark on all of us at the Ministry of Health. I am particularly grateful for his expert guidance and invaluable assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“Dr Ayo was key to our pandemic response. After Dr Peek-Ball retired, Dr Ayo jumped in and helped us navigate the challenges of the pandemic. Our medical community and the people of Bermuda were fortunate to have his exceptional leadership. We will miss Dr Ayo and wish him all the best.”
Before stepping down, Dr Oyinloye released his first Annual Report; the Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report 2023: A Post-Pandemic Focus on Health Inequalities, which is an independent assessment of the state of health in Bermuda.
“I have written this report as a short thematic essay that sits alongside longer, more technical reports such as the Bermuda Joint Strategic Needs Assessment of Health 2023 and Health in Review 2023. The underlying data used to write this report is presented in a supplementary appendix,” explained Dr. Oyinloye.
“The publication of the Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report in Bermuda has been delayed for several years, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which dominated the attention of all those working in the Ministry of Health.”
In the report, Dr Oyinloye highlights health inequalities in the post-pandemic era and how COVID-19 enormously impacted health, including its upstream determinants disrupting normal economic and social life.
The report’s key messages are:
1. Bermuda continues to show considerable societal inequalities, linked to socioeconomic status, race, sex, and migration status.
2. There is a lack of robust, population-wide data on health inequalities, particularly data that can directly link health status with socioeconomic/information on disparities.
3. The current health system is a driver of health inequalities. Lack of universal health coverage is resulting in many of those with the greatest health needs being unable to access necessary healthcare.
4. COVID-19 is likely to have exacerbated societal and health inequalities, although the full impact of the pandemic remains uncertain.
5. Bermuda has a unique opportunity to address health inequalities through the Bermuda Health Strategy 2022-2027 and the planned Universal Health Coverage programme.
6. There is a need to develop measurable and objective indices of deprivation and inequalities. This will assess the scale of the issues in Bermuda and monitor progress in addressing the issues.
“This is a significant report consisting of key data, charts and statistics, giving us a broad overview of the health of our country,” said Minister of Health the Hon. Kim Wilson JP MP “The information in this report will assist the Ministry of Health with our long-term health plans.”
The full report is here.
Dr. Shaun Ramroop, Senior Medical Officer, in the Department of Health, has been appointed to act as Chief Medical Officer until further notice.
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