‘My worst day is when I lose a young patient unnecessarily’ – Davy

A good day for Dr Jose Davy is when a patient shows signs of healing and is able to do things they could not do before she administered care.

On Sunday July 19, Dr Jose Melissa Davy’s Better Health Centre marks 10 years in operation.

The doctor’s office, located at Arnos Vale, is run by Dr Davy with the assistance of Dr Najah Peters.

Dr Davy is also employed at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH) as the Public Healthcare HIV Coordinator. This means that all HIV patients seen publicly are seen by her at the MCMH.

She is responsible for about 400 patients.

“My worst day is when I lose a young patient unnecessarily,” Dr Davy said while stressing that persons should not allow the stigma attached to health issues like HIV/AIDS hinder them from seeking medical attention.

In a recent interview, Dr Davy said in the last five years, cancers have been the number one killer in St Vincent and the Grenadines, followed by cardiovascular diseases.

She said that HIV used to top the list but that has bumped down as they are now able to treat patients and help prolong lives.

Dr Davy, an infectious disease expert, has been trying to encourage medical students to take up this area of study, but most are reluctant because of diseases like COVID-19 and Ebola and the issues they have created worldwide.

She said she interacts with medical students during their four-week clinical sessions and they sometimes ask her why she choose infectious diseases as her field.

Dr Davy explained that being in this field allows you to better know your risk and knowing your risk helps you to protect yourself better.

“Healthcare workers are at a higher risk more than anyone else as we put ourselves out there for the public,” Dr. Davy said.