- FileA patient receiving care at one of the island's hospitals.
BEFORE WORLD War II, notes cardiologist and medical historian, Dr. Don Christian, Caribbean professionals were trained in the UK, Ireland, Canada and the USA. The participation of our professionals in the war effort brought to the attention of Britain the education needs of the West Indian colonies. So, the Asquith Commission was set up to "consider the question of higher education in the colonies."
This resulted in the establishment of the medical faculty in 1948, the first department of the University College of the West Indies, which opened its doors as an affiliate of the University of London. There was a severe shortage of doctors in the region and the West Indian Commission was fervent in its call for the college.
Applications were invited for the new faculty in 1947. More than 800 applications were received for the 30 positions available. On October 3, 1948, thirty-three students began their studies in medicine.
The subsequent development of the field of medicine in Jamaica and the West Indies is a story of collaboration between university almuni and doctors visiting from abroad. Research projects have also benefited significantly from funding from the United States and Britain. However, the talent has been primarily our own.
In research, progress has been sure.
Heart history
The field of cardiology began to develop in Jamaica with the creation of a special clinic for heart disease patients at the University Hospital in 1958 by Scottish cardiologist, Dr. John Tulloch.
Dr. Richard Cory conducted the first closed heart operation.
In 1968, the first open heart operation was done after many months of practising on dogs in the laboratory. The first 20 patients survived. But challenges facing the pioneer team and which still dogs the programme is the absence of an adequate number of trained staff in the intensive care unit of the University Hospital.
Rehabilitation
The fields of neurology, orthopaedics and lately that of fertility, have developed into areas in which our medical personnel now hold their own against the established institutions in the developed world.
The Sir John Golding Centre , the new name of the Mona Rehabilitation Centre, is named after Sir John Golding who was the moving force behind the rehabilitation of polio victims following in the polio epidemic of 1954.
Dr. Emran Ali, Senior medical officer and consultant orthopaedic surgeon says that today the centre is the only one of its kind in the Caribbean that caters for the rehabilitation of the physically challenged, people who have been injured either by gunshots, accidents or falls. "The aim is to get mobile as best as can."
The centre houses a physiotherapy department, occupational therapy, an appliance workshop and it also caters to people who have lost limbs through the making of artificial limbs.
Renal disease
For the treatment of renal disease, dialysis was started in February 1970. Up to then, if a patient had kidney failure, he died. The first dialysis machine was brought in by Dr. Sam Street in the 1970s.
Today, the Kingston Public Hospital has 13 such machines, UWI 10 and there are three at the Cornwall Regional Hospital.
"There are not enough patients saved; they still die, but at least we save some. There are 250 kidney patients needing dialysis at present in Jamaica, most of whom are awaiting transplants," said Professor Lawson Douglas, head of the Department of Urology at the University Hospital of the West Indies.
The first kidney transplant was performed in September 1970 on 13-year-old Dorrett Campbell. She did well for three and a half months, then died.
The programme has had many successes since. And according to Professor Douglas, "We do live transplants once a month, and whenever a cadaver is available.
"In 30 years we have come a long way. In the early days the same team would see to everything...harvesting, transplanting and after care. Now each activity has a separate team."
