Savanna-La-Mar Hospital Gets New Machine to Reduce Amputations
Photo: Claudia Gardner
Caption: Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr. Suman Vemu (left), explains the functions of the C-arm machine to Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton (third left); Senior Medical Officer at the Savanna-la-Mar Public General Hospital, Dr. Alfred Dawes (second left); and Executive Director of Food for the Poor, David Mair. Occasion was the handover of the machine on March 23.
The Savanna-la-Mar Public General Hospital has been outfitted with a new C-arm machine, which will help to reduce the number of amputations, by enabling the hospital to undertake more surgeries and reduce patient waiting time.
Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, who spoke at the official handover of the machine on March 23, described it as another big addition to the infrastructure at the hospital.
He attributed the successful acquisition to the relentless efforts of the Hospital Management Committee, chaired by businessman Eric “Busha” Clarke and the medical team at the hospital.
“It is the first piece of equipment of its kind that has been installed here at the Savanna-la-Mar hospital. The implication of that, in terms of the pace of doing procedures, the efficiency of the administration of procedures, the waiting time, the bed space that it will free up, is that you can now more precisely attack and deal with the problem that is at hand,” Dr. Tufton said.
“This institution is so much better off today, because of the leadership at the local level, not in Kingston, led by “Busha” Clarke and his team. I have witnessed a number of initiatives that signal the start of a process that represents transformation here at Savanna-la-Mar,” the Minister added.
The C-arm machine is used to provide high-resolution X-ray images in real time, allowing doctors to monitor progress and immediately make any corrections during surgical, orthopaedic and emergency care procedures.
The machine, donated to the Savanna-la Mar Public General Hospital, is valued at $16 million. It was acquired through funding efforts led by Food for the Poor and supported by other organisations, including the National Commercial Bank Foundation, Jamaica National Foundation, American Friends for Justice, Tank-Weld, Couples Resorts and the Issa Trust Foundation.
Dr. Tufton said the benefits the new technology brings to Westmoreland “are tremendous,” as it is a response to an important need of the parish, which is disproportionately impacted by “significant trauma-related to motor vehicle accidents and in particular, biking accidents.”
The Minister emphasised that the acquisition symbolises the important partnership that is required in public health…“the support through partnerships to build out the public health infrastructure is absolutely critical and we will be placing a lot more emphasis on it this year and in years to come, because we believe there is a lot of value and a lot of goodwill that we can tap into.”
