Mandeville hospital gets kidney-care equipment

MANDEVILLE, Manchester:

THE MANDEVILLE Regional Hospital, which serves a population spanning the parishes of Manchester, St Elizabeth, Clarendon and St Ann, will now be able to better address the need for more patients to have access to treatment for renal failure due to the recent handover of a haemodialysis unit to the Mandeville Regional Hospital.

The Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund provided $24 million to renovate and expand a building to house the unit, as well as support its operational costs.

Chronic renal failure is a significant national health problem, which is increasing annually, creating a demand for treatment by dialysis and kidney transplantation, according to a Ministry of Health report. It also states that the estimated number of patients requiring dialysis increased by 300 patients each year, with only one-third receiving treatment in the public hospitals and private laboratories islandwide due to a shortage of haemodialysis machines.

Critical need

During the handover ceremony, W. Billy Heaven, chief executive officer of the CHASE Fund, expressed satisfaction that his organisation's investment would address a critical need for patients in central Jamaica.

"Our review of the incidence of the prevalence of renal disease in Jamaica and the absence of adequate machines to meet the demand of patients needing dialysis treatment was indeed an eye-opener," said Heaven. "We had to become a partner in the process ... . This also informed us how to proceed in our support for this critical area of health care," he added.

He was referring to the fund's continued support for this area of need, which included the provision of US$90,000 for the maintenance of 16 machines at the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH); the training of nurses in nephrology (the study and treatment of kidney diseases) over a two-year period with a grant of $5 million and benefits to individuals with renal disease totalling some $62 million.

More efficient service

Heaven suggested that greater emphasis be placed on the efficiency of delivering dialysis care to patients by increasing the utilisation of machines through shift systems (three shifts per day or six days per week), so that the machines would be used to their full capacity and more patients would receive service.

The fund's CEO promised his organisation's continued support over time which, he suggested, would result in making treatment more accessible to patients, and creating more affordable options. He listed these initiatives going forward as expansion of facilities at the Mandeville, Kingston Public hospitals and the University Hospital of the West Indies, more training for nurses and the possibility of establishing more units across the island.

CAPTION: Mandeville Regional Hospital Board Chairman Timothy Scarlett (right) points out features of one of the haemodialysis machines to W. Billy Heaven (left) and Minister of Health Rudyard Spencer (centre). Also participating are (Dr Hopeton Falconer, senior medical officer (behind Mr Heaven), and CHASE Director Saleem Lazarus (partly hidden). The occasion was a ceremony held on the grounds of the hospital to hand over the unit on Wednesday, January 19. CHASE granted $24 million to refurbish and expand the building to house the unit.- Contributed