Caribbean News
TCI: Renal Failure surges in TCI, more nurses needed
#TurksandCaicos, March 19, 2021 – The TCI Hospitals will get two full time nurses for the Dialysis Unit it explained in a media release as a result of that extra funding approved at Cabinet last week.
Consultant Nephrologist at TCI Hospital, Dr. Vancelee Forbes, stated: “The dialysis unit welcomes this much-needed increase in staff as an interim measure to improve safety and increase the capacity of the dialysis unit at the Cheshire Hall Medical Centre. We look forward to continuing to work closely with the Turks and Caicos Islands Government to improve services, including facilitating the growth of the home dialysis program and increasing opportunities for kidney transplantation.”
Chief of Allied Services at TCI Hospital, Eleanor Hall, stated: “We are thankful for the approval of the additional nursing staff for the dialysis unit. The treatment session for a dialysis patient is four hours in duration and occurs three times per week. The additional nurses would help us adjust treatment shifts to better hours, prepare for new patients, and reduce the extended working hours currently required to deliver treatments. The hospital’s senior management team will continue to proactively discuss and seek support from TCI Government on long-term measures to meet the growing patient demand.”
The need for the new staff raises serious red flags about the escalation in people requiring the Hemodialysis Services unit. Renal failure, more simply put, kidneys which are not functioning properly; unable to filter out waste and toxins from the body, unable to ensure the body stores and then uses vital nutrients from what is consumed and with the inability to function, a machine is employed to do the work for them.
It was explained: “The increase in the number of patients presenting to the Turks and Caicos Islands Hospital with chronic diseases complicated by renal failure has been the catalyst for an expanded hemodialysis service. There is an average of six to eight new patients per annum who require dialysis treatment. There are 55 patients currently on dialysis across both medical centres, and dialysis is a life-saving treatment.”
The Hemodialysis Services serves clients in Grand Turk and Providenciales. The increase in patients and the pressures on health care due to the Coronavirus Pandemic required a request for greater support from the Turks and Caicos Islands Government.
“The private health care management company submitted a request to the TCI Government seeking additional infrastructure, equipment, and human resources to support the growing number of dialysis patients. The recent cabinet approval was to recruit two additional full-time dialysis nurses to serve 12 months as an interim measure and on an emergency basis.”
Excessive alcohol consumption is a leading cause for renal failure. “According to the Pan American Health Organization, chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been identified as an increasing public health issue worldwide and deserves focused attention in the Americas. Globally, diabetes mellitus and hypertension are the major causes of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). A similar picture is also accurate for the Turks and Caicos Islands,” said the TCI Hospitals in the statement issued Thursday.
There are 55 people across the islands who need this service several times a week and the InterHealth Canada operated hospitals explained, “six to eight new patients are being added annually.”
Thanks to the recently approved additional human resources by the TCI Cabinet, there will be greater capacity within the department “to cover treatment shifts for the next 12 months. The Hemodialysis Service consists of ten (10) Specialist Nurses and one (1) Dialysis Technician. A full-time Nephrologist supports the service. There are six dialyzer machines and four back-up machines at Cheshire Hall Medical Centre. Cockburn Town Medical Centre has three dialyzer machines and two back-up machines.”
KINGSTON, April 24 (JIS):
Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has declared Jamaica a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) island with a vision of fostering innovation, driving economic growth, and empowering citizens to thrive in the global knowledge economy.
“Through our collaborative all-hands-on-deck approach, Government, private sector, academia and civil society, we will work towards this goal. Jamaica is now officially declared a STEM island,” he said.
Prime Minister Holness was addressing the Future Ready International Conference held at the University of Technology (UTech) in Kingston on April 24.
As a STEM island, he said that the Government will seek to implement comprehensive education reforms from the primary to the tertiary levels, with the objective of developing a skilled workforce, capable of competing in global markets.
He said that ecosystems will be developed to encourage startups, entrepreneurs, and innovators in the STEM disciplines to drive industry and economic growth, as well as to address social issues.
“We will encourage the growth of STEM industries such as biotechnology, information technology and advanced manufacturing. We will also leverage STEM to grow and monetise the musical, artistic, cultural and other natural talents of our people. We will leverage STEM solutions to address environmental challenges including climate change, renewable energy and sustainable agriculture,” the Prime Minister said.
“We will position Jamaica as a hub for STEM research, innovation, collaboration and other developments in the Caribbean and beyond,” he added.
The Prime Minister said that by embracing STEM as a national priority, Jamaica will unlock its full potential driving prosperity, peace and productivity in a sustainable, equitable way for all our Jamaican citizens and, indeed, the world,” Holness said.
KINGSTON, April 29 (JIS):
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the outcome of discussions arising from the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) will assist in guiding the Government’s planning for climate change.
This, he points out, is important for climate mitigation as well as building Jamaica’s resilience.
“We look forward to the discussions that will, no doubt, take place. We look forward to the basis of planning for the Government to streamline its investments to ensure you have the tools that you need to better advise us, that the WRA (Water Resources Authority) has the tools to digitise its monitoring network, and that all of the agencies that touch our planning mechanisms have the tools. But we need to know what we are facing, and we’re guided by your expertise,” Minister Samuda said.
He was addressing the opening ceremony for the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in New Kingston on Monday (April 29).
Senator Samuda said given the fact that the climate has changed and continues to do so, investments in and collaborations on building Jamaica’s predictive and scientific capacity must be prioritised.
“Ultimately, we need to be able to assess our current climatic realities if we are to better plan, if we’re to insist and ensure that our infrastructure meets the needs that we need it to. I’m very happy that this event is happening… because this is a critical issue.
“Jamaica, last year, faced its worst and most severe drought… and this year, we’re already seeing the impacts of not quite as severe a drought but, certainly, a drought with severe impacts, especially in the western part of the country,” he said.
Principal Director, Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson, explained that the forum aims to, among other things, establish a collaboration platform for climate services providers and users to understand risks and opportunities of past, present and future climate developments, as well as improve inter-agency coordination of policies, plans and programmes.
Among the other presenters were Ambassador, European Union to Jamaica, Her Excellency Marianne Van Steen; Chief Scientist/Climatologist, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, Adrian Trotman; and Head, Regional Climate Prediction Services, World Meteorological Organization, Wilfran Moufouma-Okia.
The Meteorological Service of Jamaica hosted the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) in partnership with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology and the World Meteorological Organization.
The National Stakeholder Consultation is a governance mechanism that guides how different sectors or actors work together to create products that contribute to adaptation and resilience-building. It seeks to create a road map for the development and implementation of climate services to inform decision-making.
NCF-1 aims to bridge the gap between climate providers and users. It increases the use of science-based information in decision-making and operations with the aim of generating and delivering co-produced and co-designed products and services.
CONTACT: CHRIS PATTERSON
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