Bustamante Hospital Gets C-Arm and Laparoscopy Machines Valued at $46 Million
By: , December 14, 2023
Photo: Dave Reid
Radiographer at the Bustamante Hospital for Children (BHC), Andreanna Thompson (right), points out features of equipment handed over by the Culture, Health, Arts, Science and Education (CHASE) Fund, during a ceremony at the hospital in St. Andrew on Tuesday (December 12). Looking on (from left) are Chairman of the BHC, Kenneth Benjamin; Chief Executive Officer of the CHASE Fund, W. Billy Heaven; and Chairman of the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA), Wentworth Charles.
Photo: Dave Reid
Chairman of the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA), Wentworth Charles (left); Chief Executive Officer of the Culture, Health, Arts, Science and Education (CHASE) Fund, W. Billy Heaven (centre); and Chairman of the Bustamante Hospital for Children (BHC), Kenneth Benjamin, are in conversation at the handover of equipment valued at $46 million to the BHC by the CHASE Fund, at the hospital in St. Andrew on Tuesday (December 12).The Full Story
The Bustamante Hospital for Children (BHC) is now equipped with two critical pieces of equipment to enhance the precision of surgical procedures, while facilitating training for residents in paediatric surgery.
The C-Arm and laparoscopy machines, donated by the Culture, Health, Arts, Science and Education (CHASE) Fund at a cost of $46 million, were handed over by the entity’s Chief Executive Officer, W. Billy Heaven, during a ceremony at the St. Andrew-based hospital on Tuesday (December 12).
Used to provide high-resolution X-ray images in real time, the C-arm machine allows doctors to monitor progress and immediately make any corrections during surgical, orthopaedic and emergency-care procedures, while the laparoscopic equipment enables minimally invasive surgeries.
Chairman of the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA), Wentworth Charles, said he is “overjoyed” with the donation.
He said that the patients and the staff will benefit significantly as the C-R machine will be used to “visualise” the small bones of children in real time, allowing for greater accuracy.
“With these pieces of equipment, the facility is the only institution to offer training in minimally invasive surgeries for paediatric residents across the English-speaking Caribbean,” he pointed out.
For his part, Mr. Heaven reported that the BHC first received funding from the agency in March 2004, when $2.2 million was approved for the purchase of a haematology Coulter Counter, and since then, the CHASE Fund has provided $101.7 million for equipment, beds, conferences and training for the institution.
“We have had several interventions at Bustamante, and we are proud of it because we know the purpose that you serve, and our hearts are always with our children, whether it is health, education, arts and culture, the sectors that we serve,” he noted.
Consultant at the hospital, Dr. Marsha James, said the addition of the machines will have a great impact on healthcare delivery, “promote our mandate to provide world-class paediatric service and assist our staff to better serve our patients”.