Providenciales, 13 Jan 2015 – The life cycle process which gave public monies to the Turks and Caicos Hospitals for the purchase of equipment upgrades for best care to TCI patients is responsible for the four and eventually nine new dialysis machines which have come to the Provo and Grand Turk medical facilities.
Media was earlier today given a look at the new machines which are already working and which provide a state of the art care to the 28 patients currently getting dialysis treatment at Cheshire Hall in Provo and 11 patients at the Cockburn Town Medical Center in GT.
“This machine will be able to have capabilities to transmit the vital signs, and the recording features actually into our electronic medical records system which is a great improvement for us, that reduces the manual process of human error when you are taking down numbers, so that’s a great feature. Plus, we’ve found this machine is quieter, there is less noise and most of all, the patient comfort, knowing that we have a process where we have a system of upgrading the machines.”
As the plan rolls out, there will eventually be six machines in Providenciales, three in Grand Turk and not only does the Dialysis Unit, which is headed by Turks and Caicos Islander, nephrologist/internist, Dr. Vancelee Forbes cater to locals, but it serves guests to the country who are in need of renal care while here on holiday.
Dr. Denise Braithwaite-Tennant, Chief of Medical Services calls it continuous quality improvement and 64 year old, 10 year dialysis patient, Elizabeth ‘Vickie’ Jones said she is happy to be able to watch TV on the new machine as she gets treatment and that she has noticed a difference.
“The first day was last Friday I started on the new one, in this arm I had fluid in it and it was like swollen all the time and when I got home and I felt the arm, it was like gone . So, I feel a lot better you know, coming off of the new one.”
The new machines cost $20,000 apiece.
As for what happens to the older dialysis machines, they will not be de-commissioned, they can be used as back-ups.
