Another gift of life - More children to get heart surgery

Nadisha Hunter, Gleaner Writer

A cardiac ward, which will accommodate more than 200 children annually, is to be developed at the Bustamante Hospital for Children.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed yesterday between the Ministry of Health, Gift of Life Rotary District 7020, and other entities, for the development of the sustained cardiac programme.

Speaking at the launch of the Memorandum of Understanding yesterday, Health Minister Rudyard Spencer said the opportunity advances the agenda of the Government to provide quality health care for the children.

"The MOU is being entered into at a time of growing debate across the region about the future of CARICOM and the commitment of our governments to the Treaty of Chaguaramas. We have also signed this MOU in an environment of fiscal decline in CARICOM," he said.

The MOU, which is valid for five years, will see the construction and equipping of a new cardiac unit and the systematic development of the human resource capacity in cardiac care in Jamaica.

Under the MOU, the Bustamante Hospital for Children will be able to increase the number of cardiac surgeries done annually, from approximately 40 to 208. The savings to patients is set to increase from $540 million to $2.8 billion.

"I thank the team at the Bustamante Hospital for Children for their outstanding work in the field of cardiac care. Many children have benefited over the years. We have a waiting list of some 300 children for cardiac surgery. I say to them, help is on the way," Spencer said.

Grateful

Chairman of South-East Regional Health Authority Lyttleton Shirley thanked the groups for their contribution to cardiac care.

Referring to the no-user fee policy for health care, Shirley said it but be seen as " laudable".

He, however, said that "in reality, in order to sustain this intervention we need to match that power of the intervention by the power for our health system to deliver these services to those in the greatest need on an adequate scale, in the time of need."

Shirley said the MOU signed yesterday is timely as about 90 per cent of the children suffering from heart conditions are from the most needy segment in society.

 CAPTION: Health Minister Rudyard Spencer (second left) examines furniture from Rotary clubs to the Bustamante Hospital for Children. Also in the picture are Diana White (left), district governor, Rotary Club Gift of Life International; Lyttleton Shirley, chairman of SERHA; Beverley Needham, CEO of the hospital, and Dr Lambert Innis, consultant at the hospital. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer