Chairman of the Southeast Regional Health Authority, Lyttleton Shirley, has said that the Region and the Ministry of Health should soon be receiving a draft Memorandum of Understanding from the Chain of Hope UK and its affiliate stake holders - Caribbean Heart Menders Association, Rotary International, Rotary Club of Down Town Kingston, Congenital Heart Institute of Florida, Cardiac Kids Foundation and the Gift of Life International.

The MOU will outline financial and other support to be given for the construction of new amenities and the renovation and retrofitting of the existing theatre and ICU facilities at the Bustamante Hospital for Children. 

Mr. Shirley was speaking at a function held this week to thank the group from the Heart Menders Association who were able to successfully complete heart surgeries on 18 children free of cost during their week long visit to the island. The group also donated JA$50 million worth of new equipment they had brought with them to facilitate the surgical procedures.

“With the assistance of a Biomedical Engineer from the visiting Heart Menders Association Team, we were able to look at the existing facilities, to find ways to expand and retrofit it to accommodate an additional 13 ICU beds.  This would negate the need to find new land to erect a new Cardiac block.  This new concept would work tremendously well as it will allow both Cardiac and general surgeries to operate concurrently, thereby expanding the knowledge base and training of ICU general care,” Mr. Shirley said.

He said it is anticipated that the hospital will be able to have its local team undertake at least five cardiac surgeries per week with the new facilities. It is expected that construction and retrofitting should be completed within five (5) months of approval, without disrupting the regular activities of the existing ICU.

Meanwhile, Mr. Shirley thanked the stakeholders, not only for the provision of financial support to facilitate the expansion, but for the provision of training of ICU nurses, the employment of a Perfusionist and an additional Cardiac Surgeon. The group has also given support for the maintenance of equipment by a Biomedical Engineer, who will be assigned to make regular visits to Jamaica to check the equipment and train Maintenance staff.

The forty three (43) member medical team from the Caribbean Heart Menders Association, in collaboration with the Congenital Heart Institute of Florida, performed the surgeries on children at the Bustamante Hospital for Children over a six day period, between February 24 and March 3, 2010.  The children aged three (3) months to twelve (12) years old underwent these potentially life saving surgeries free of cost.

“It would have cost the government approximately US$80,000 to send each child overseas to access the service that typically would not be available here. This is good news for Jamaica and Jamaican children. I look forward to the next round of visits,” Mr. Shirley said.

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Contact: MOH, Public Relations Unit Tel: 967-1561