May Pen Hospital gets cardiac monitor

MAY PEN, Clarendon: PERSONS WHO suffer from heart attacks and stroke will have access to better treatment the next time they visit the May Pen Hospital, thanks to a well-needed donation of a cardiac monitor that was handed over to the facility recently.

The life-saving piece of equipment, valuing over $700,000, was donated by the Jamaican Canadian Association of Nurses (JCAN) and will enable the effective management of patients postoperatively. It will also monitor the status of heart attack and stroke victims.

Regional Director of the South Regional Health Authority Michael Bent said a partnership was formed with JCAN at the Diaspora Conference 2015 and the donation from the association is the start of a lifelong partnership. “This is the latest model of the cardiac monitor and so it is expected that with this vital piece of equipment, the May Pen Hospital will be able to treat the high numbers of heart attack and stroke patients it receives and will ultimately enhance patient care,” he said.

IMPROVED RECOVERY

“The hospital sees a lot of stroke victims, and if we are able to get them on this machine within 24-48 hours after a stroke, then the chances of getting them back to normality is very high. Many of the persons who suffer a stroke and become incapacitated for a long time would not have suffered if we had this piece of equipment, because treatment with it within 24-48 hours is likely to bring full recovery and a return to full production.”

Meanwhile, Senior Medical Officer of the May Pen Hospital Dr Bradley Edwards says, “The hospital is currently under stress in terms of the fact that we are overcrowded. We have 110 per cent occupancy on a regular basis and it shows that we need to expand as an institution. Right now, based on our projections, we will need at least two more 30-bed wards to be able to look after the population that we expect in the next 10 years will be coming to this institution. I expect primary health care to be improved, but I’m still expecting that as we get an ageing population, more and more people will be coming.”

FULFILLING A DREAM

Dr Edwards said the facility welcomes and appreciates the piece of equipment. “This means a lot to us, because our dream and passion at the May Pen Hospital is to treat persons with heart attacks and strokes with thrombolytic therapy so they can go home within a few days without any defect,” he said.

The cardiac monitor will be placed in the recovery room/high dependency unit so that persons who are in need of intensive management will be properly monitored and treated with a chance of being restored as close to normal as possible.

“We really appreciate this; this gift is more than it appears,” Dr Edwards said.