IN the past 3 years, numbers of accident and trauma patients have increased at an alarming rate, jumping almost 60 per cent in the past five years. This trend has further challenged an already burdened healthcare system. The cost of which is ultimately paid in lives.
University Hospital of West Indies (UHWI), known for its commitment to excellence in healthcare, has risen to address this need. The hospital has once again joined forces with an old friend and enduring partner, Scotiabank Jamaica Foundation and begins construction on the expansion of the Accident and Emergency Unit this month. The expansion will alleviate the issues of overcrowding and increase the services available to patients.
University Hospital of the West Indies CEO, Stephanie Reid, sees the University hospital as challenged, "it is 50 years old and there have been many changes - in terms of the provision of medical care, in the numbers of patients that are attending our Hospital for care, and also there is a greater demand for service from our population. Unfortunately the infrastructure and the physical layout of the buildings are not in keeping with the changes that are taking place and we now see the urgent need to improve the hospital environment, upgrade and expand the services to meet the growing healthcare needs; hence the improvement and upgrade of the Accident & Emergency Department.
Long known as a champion of healthcare and the well-being of all Jamaicans, the Scotiabank Foundation has served as a vital element to the success of the hospital. Executive Director of the Scotiabank Jamaica Foundation, Marie Powell said, "We established the Scotiabank Centennial Accident & Emergency Unit to mark Scotiabank Jamaica's 100th year in Jamaica, and it is an example of the type of contribution we make to our country, because Scotiabank believes that contributing to the well-being of communities is an important part of who we are and what we do as an organisation. " The Scotiabank Jamaica Foundation will be spending over $28 million to expand the unit and this is in addition to the Foundation's annual contribution of $1,000,000 towards the maintenance of the Unit. The Foundation contributes mainly to projects in the health and education sectors and has contributed over $30 million to projects this year.
Head of the Department of Surgery, Radiology, Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Professor McDonald has long held the torch for the standard of excellence at UHWI.
"At the University, we are constantly trying to improve on the services offered to the public. In order to improve the quality of patient care, we had to expand the clinical area so that we can save more lives through increased use of the facilities. We hope that the expansion will go a long way toward achieving this," stated McDonald.
Scheduled to begin December 1, 2003, the construction on the expansion of the A&E Unit will be focused at the back of the existing structure and therefore create minimum disruption to hospital operations. Hospital staff, patients and visitors can look forward to the unveiling of the new unit in March 2004. The project is another example of a progressive alliance in which the public is the winner. The Bank of Nova Scotia has continued to be a shining example of responsible corporate citizenship. UHWI CEO Stephanie Reid applauds the Foundation's efforts, "I have had the privilege of working with the Bank on a prior healthcare improvement, namely the establishment of the Haemodialysis Unit at the Cornwall Regional Hospital in 1997, it is their magnanimous gesture that has assisted us in the past and is now assisting us in the present to ensure that healthcare is provided for the benefit of every individual in Jamaica."
