The Maria Holder Diabetes Centre for the Caribbean

The Barbados Diabetes Foundation (BDF) was formed in 2001 as a mechanism for providing a holistic approach to the management of diabetes in Barbados. It benefited from a grant from a private foundation based in Liechtenstein to construct a specialist diabetes center. We are proud of our latest achievement - the new Maria Holder Diabetes Centre for the Caribbean opened in 2014 in Barbados.

The Diabetes Centre is an institution dedicated exclusively to the management of diabetes in Barbados. It offers a multidisciplinary approach to diabetes care, which is a concept new to Barbados. Patients may be seen by diabetes specialist physicians, specialist nurses, nutritionists, and psychologists at the same visit in a holistic exercise.

The Centre also houses a foot care clinic which is run by podiatric specialists who work in tandem with the rest of the team. Other services offered by the Centre are exercise therapy, retinal imaging and on-site point of care laboratory services. Patient empowerment and self-management are the central focus of every encounter. Patients are seen on referral or by appointment.

Our Mission

To enhance diabetes education and promote self-management skills, empowering individuals to play a more active role in diabetes prevention whilst assisting in the search for cures.


Our Vision

To be the Center of Excellence for diabetes surveillance and management in Barbados and the Caribbean by 2030 through: Raising the standard of care of diabetes, Increasing public awareness and education, Pioneering new approaches to early detection, prevention, treatment and management