BUSTAMANTE HOSPITAL BENEFITS FROM IMPROVEMENT IN SERVICES

KINGSTON , June 21 (JIS):

The Bustamante Hospital for Children has benefited from expansion in health care services, specifically cardiac and orthopaedic services.

This information was disclosed in a Ministry Paper tabled in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (June 19) by Minister of Health, Horace Dalley.

Expansion in orthopaedic services includes the introduction of pedicle screw instrumentation in scoliosis surgery, through partnership with the Straight Spine Foundation of the Caribbean. Ten surgeries were performed in 2006 using the technology, with the assistance of a visiting medical team.

Arthroscopy, another technology, was also introduced at the hospital to correct complex angular deformity in lower limbs.

Surgeons at Bustamante Hospital also performed tendon transfer surgery on selected cerebral palsy patients. This surgery is a valuable step in the treatment of cerebral palsy as it can offer moderate improvement of the disorder.

There has also been improvement in cardiac surgery at the health facility, through partnership with Chain of Hope United Kingdom, a charity organization that seeks to provide children suffering from life-threatening heart diseases with corrective surgery and treatment.

Eye care capacity at the hospital has improved through a partnership with ORBIS International, a nonprofit organization dedicated to blindness prevention and treatment in developing countries.

There have also been improvements in the hospital’s infrastructure, including painting and repairs to the roof of the administrative office; refurbishing of the doctors’ lounge, two duty rooms and the dermatology clinic; upgrading of the medical gases outlet; and the installation of a new compressor for compressed air.

The hospital also completed phase 2 of its energy efficient project, with the replacement of lighting fixtures with energy efficient bulbs and the installation of light sensors.

The multi-disciplinary children’s hospital also launched a Child Abuse Prevention Campaign last year.