Found at: http://www.anguillaguide.com/article/articleprint/5717/-1/140/
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Laparoscopic Training And Surgery Went Very Well
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The Health Authority of Anguilla and a team of professionals from Bassett Healthcare in Cooperstown, New York, are elated over a partnership in which medical and nursing personnel on the island have undergone an excellent period of training in Laparoscopic Surgery. Further, they are pleased that between Monday and Wednesday, March 3-5, seven operations were performed on patients who were able to leave the Princess Alexandra Hospital within a short time of the specialised procedures.
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Government Officials, Health Authority Board members, Bassett Health Care Officials and Tom Wright
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The procedures in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy and Tubal Litigation surgery were performed by local surgeons fresh from the training.
The visiting team, which conducted the training, comprised Dr. Randall Zuckerman, Leader and Attending Surgeon, Dr. Steven Heneghan, Surgeon-in-Chief; Dr. Craig Heson, Surgeon; Dr. Jack Jack, Gynaeclogist and Operating Room Registered Nurse, Nanette Root.
The training in advanced surgical procedures for the medical and nursing staff of the Health Authority of Anguilla, as well as private doctors and nurses, commenced on Sunday, March 2, at the Teachers’ Resource Centre.
Chief Executive Officer of the Health Authority, Darlene Baptiste, traced the history and development of laparoscopic surgery. She was delighted that today, in 2008, the procedures were now available as part of the services of the Health Authority of Anguilla to the credit of the Bassett Healthcare.
She described the procedures as “a modern surgical technique in which operations are performed through small incisions.” She explained that there were significant advantages to patients for this type of surgery versus open surgical procedures. The benefits include reduction of blood loss, smaller incisions, short recovery time and less pain medication. “Even though the procedures may be longer, hospital stays are less and patients are often discharged the same day… and there is less exposure to internal organs,” Mrs. Baptiste added.
Deputy Chairperson of the Health Authority, Dr. M. Linda Banks, who revealed that she had to go all the way to Canada for the laparoscopic surgery some years ago, was happy that the technology was now available in Anguilla. “We cannot say enough about how enthralled and excited we are at this innovation in our health services,” she said. “We can hold our heads high and say Anguilla is a pioneer in the Caribbean.”
Minister of Health, Evans Rogers, described the new surgical procedures as “a step in the right direction in terns of improving the quality of health-care for Anguilla.” He praised Tom Wright, a friend and resident in Anguilla through whose persistence the long-planned technology had become a reality at the hospital. He was also grateful to the Bassett team for what he thought “was a truly successful training and surgery in Anguilla.”
Mr. Rogers noted that there were a number of other areas of health-care needed to be addressed. He named them as including further training, home health care and mental health.
Director of Health Services, Dr. Kennedy Simmonds, said the training and operation sessions went extremely well. “All the patients did very well and some of them disappeared out of the hospital so fast that we didn’t realise that they had gone,” he recalled. “We want to thank the Bassett team for the excellent work they have done for health services in Anguilla.”
He assured his listeners that the laparoscopic surgery was “just a start to something really big.”
Chief Minister, Osbourne Fleming, was pleased to see the advancement in surgical procedures in Anguilla and thanked the Bassett Healthcare organisation for its assistance to the island.
Other speakers were Mr. Tom Wright, Dr. Randy Zuckerman and Dr. Heneghan, who spoke about the partnership between the Bassett Healthcare and Anguilla, matters relating to the laparoscopic technology and answered various questions from the media.
While the surgery is now available at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, it is also done at Hughes Medical Centre at South Hill, where it was introduced by Anguillian Surgeon, Dr. Rona Hodge, who served in the United States for many years. With these two services on the island, it is possible to provide the specialised procedures to all persons requiring the treatment.