Local medical professionals can now consult with cancer specialists in Canada

A new structure at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH) will change the way that this country deals with paediatric cancer and blood disorders.

The hospital now has a telemedicine room, which will be used by local medical professionals to consult with cancer specialists in Canada {{more}} at the SickKids Hospital in Toronto.

The facility is located in a small room, which was constructed adjacent to the Accident and Emergency department at the MCMH.

The project, which has been in the pipeline for the past two years, has come about as a result of a partnership between the SickKids Hospital, a world leader in paediatric cancer, and Scotiabank.

On Wednesday, representatives from the two entities and other officials paid a visit to the designated space.

“This is going to be a very big addition to our work here in St Vincent. We do not have an oncologist on staff, so we are going to be relying a lot on the team in Toronto to give us the expert help. Sometimes we need immediate advice and we would be able to achieve that through this unit, so it will be a big addition to the services here,” paediatrician Dr Rosemary Boyle said on Wednesday.

“The space will be used for teleconferencing, where we would do clinical case consultation with the team at SickKids Toronto, and we have a case that we need help with, if we need advice, if we need diagnostics to be confirmed, we can teleconference with them directly through this equipment that will be installed and we can have live advice and recommendations done.”

While the room will be used primarily for cancer and sickle cell consultations, Boyle, who is also the local champion for the project, told SEARCHLIGHT that it will also be used for other cases, including those involving adults.

“Sick Kids is the one who is funding it and it is part of the SickKids Caribbean Initiative, but we are not selfish and we are willing to share it with the rest of the medical staff and the nursing fraternity…once it’s for the benefit of patients. Sometimes a doctor may want to refer a patient elsewhere or to consult with another doctor and it will be available,” the paediatrician said.

“The important thing is that we’ll be able to access very expert people who are the best in the business. We would be able to afford that sort of care to our patients here, just by being able to consult and to be advised and to get our recommendations.”

The telemedicine room in St Vincent and the Grenadines is a part of a CDN $8 million project, which facilitates the establishment of telemedicine rooms in six countries.

Associate director at the SickKids Foundation Colin Hennigar revealed that the idea behind the project was to create equal opportunities within the Caribbean.

“We’ve opened one in the Bahamas and Barbados; this one will open soon in St Vincent and then on Friday, we’ll be opening one in St Lucia,” he told SEARCHLIGHT.

“I think it’s a big milestone for the SickKids Caribbean Initiative, opening the telemedicine room in St Vincent, because it’s really bringing everyone together, no matter what size of country you are. It’s about equal opportunities in terms of telemedicine. I think that’s key for this project.”

Of the CDN$ 8 million, CDN$1 million was pledged by Scotiabank in 2013, through their philanthropic programme, Bright Future. The donation was not only intended to help this country by improving health care, but also to create a better chance for future generations to grow up healthy and make meaningful contributions to the region.

“We are definitely happy to be a part of this initiative. Even at Scotiabank, some of our employees’ children have had assistance from SickKids Hospital within the last two years, so we feel it right here at home,” Syran Clarke, corporate banking manager said.

“We’re proud to be involved in this and we hope that we can continue to work as a team; the Government of St Vincent, Scotiabank and the SickKids Hospital, to make it better for our kids and St Vincent on a whole by improving health care to…Vincentians.”

Columbus International Inc has also put their support behind the initiative and has pledged to provide the required Internet service for the next three years of the project.

When the team visited on Wednesday, work was still being carried out on the small room.

Calvin Llewellyn, an engineer from the Roads, Buildings and General Services Authority (BRAGSA), who is responsible for the project, assured that the facility should be completed by today, Friday, October 10.(BK)