Shastri Boodan
GML Correspondent
Cancer patients receiving oncological care at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) will soon be able to access chemotherapy treatment at the institution, with a medical oncology unit expected to open before the end of the year.
North Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA) chairman Dr Tim Gopeesingh announced on Thursday that the Authority was working towards establishing the unit, which will expand the range of cancer treatment services available at the hospital.
Gopeesingh made the announcement during a tour of sections of the EWMSC with NCRHA board members, chief executive officer Bhadase Seetahal-Maharaj and senior executive medical officers.
He said cancer surgeries were already being performed at the hospital across several specialties, and the introduction of chemotherapy would allow patients to access additional treatment at the same institution.
“We are now going to be opening up an oncologic unit here so that our cancer patients who need chemotherapy will be able to have their chemotherapy treatment right here at Eric Williams,” he said.
The tour included the hospital’s medical and angiography units, cardiac catheterisation laboratory and operating theatres.
Gopeesingh said the NCRHA board began visiting institutions under its responsibility about three months ago to assess their operations, management, infrastructure, workload and challenges affecting patients and healthcare workers.
The NCRHA oversees the EWMSC, Mt Hope Women’s Hospital, Arima Hospital, Caura Hospital and 15 district health facilities, including the Chaguanas Health Centre and St Joseph Enhanced Health Centre.
He said the visits were intended to give board members a better understanding of the challenges facing the institutions and inform decisions and recommendations to improve healthcare delivery.
The EWMSC records approximately 160,000 visits annually to its medical and surgical outpatient clinics alone. Gopeesingh acknowledged that the outpatient areas were severely overcrowded but said the Authority was moving to ease congestion by providing additional clinic space on the lower floors.
He said six of the hospital’s eight operating theatres were fully functional, with the remaining two expected to become operational within the next two weeks. Three additional operating theatres in the Accident and Emergency Department are expected to be operational within a month.
The additional theatres will accommodate procedures that do not require the main operating theatres.
The adult Accident and Emergency Department sees approximately 200 patients daily, with about 70 requiring admission. The paediatric department sees approximately 150 patients daily, with about 15 requiring admission.
Gopeesingh said 50 additional bed spaces were being brought into service following the relocation of psychiatric services to Arima. The Authority has also purchased 25 new beds to replace dilapidated ones in the hospital wards.
He said the NCRHA was extending surgical services to weekends and, when necessary, until 6 pm to complete operating lists, while maintaining emergency services throughout the night. The Authority was also working to increase emergency and urological surgeries at the Arima Hospital.
Gopeesingh said the EWMSC performs approximately 240 cardiac bypass operations and 1,500 angiographies annually, helping to reduce waiting lists for cardiac surgical interventions.
He added that the EWMSC remained the only tertiary-level institution in the NCRHA offering complex neurosurgical procedures, joint replacements and interventional radiological procedures.
Gopeesingh also said the Authority had completed 29 of the 52 health-sector commitments outlined in the UNC’s election manifesto and was continuing work towards fulfilling the remaining pledges.
He said the NCRHA would continue engaging medical, nursing and allied health professionals as part of its efforts to improve patient care throughout the region.
