May Pen Hospital gets X-Ray machine

The Embassy of Japan has donated a C-Arm X-Ray machine to the May Pen hospital worth approximately US$87,000, or J$10 million.

St Andrade Sinclair, chief executive officer of May Pen Hospital, told THE STAR that the hospital is happy about the machine.

"This is the first time that the hospital is getting something like this ... . Not too many hospitals have anything like this, both public and private," he said. "This is not an ordinary instrument or equipment."

Dr Safiyah Franklin, consultant for the orthopaedic department at May Pen Hospital, says the C-Arm X-Ray machine will allow the hospital to serve a larger number of patients with a wider range of diagnoses.

"With this machine, there will be a reduction in the number of patients who are transferred or referred to the Mandeville Regional Hospital and its associated costs, and there will be a reduced surgical waiting time for both elective and urgent cases and its associated reduction in cost for hospitalisation and reduced complications."

Dr Franklin says the most important impact the machine will have on the hospital is an overall improvement in patient outcomes. She gave the assurance that there will also be indirect benefits. These include more efficient use of beds and space, and a reduction in overall cost to treat patients.