Peta-Gaye Clachar/Staff Photographer
Dr. Charles Rockhead in his office, the white walls of which feature this black and white print of an ageing, manly hand gently holding a newborn.
Avia Collinder, Outlook Writer
In the office of Dr. Charles Rockhead, white walls feature black and white prints of an ageing, manly hand gently holding a newborn.
Missing are the usual gilt-edged certificates and diplomas that clutter the walls of other medical practitioners' offices.
Missing - for the moment - also is the trademark white jacket and stethoscope. Instead, the doctor's laptop is already up and running and he works with his Blackberry constantly beeping, delivering information minutely.
Representing the new face of medical care in Jamaica, the medical practitioner is a gynaecologist who specialises in minimally invasive diagnostic, therapeutic and corrective procedures, which provide a source of relief to many women.
Rockhead is 100 per cent in love with technology and its medical applications, and this is reflected in the practice with partner Dr. Matthew Taylor on Ripon Road, Kingston.
Doctors' focus
The doctors focus on services such as fibroid treatment and solving the problems caused by endometriosis. They also do vaginal reconstruction surgery, a solution which increases the comfort of women as they age.
The doctors specialise in laparoscopy, the procedure in which small incisions are made in the belly button and a telescope passed through to view the contents of the female pelvis at three to five times the normal size. The images are transmitted via a camera and light source to a projector.
Almost any gynaecological procedure can be done through the incision, including the removal of uterine fibroids, the removal or treatment of ovarian cysts, the treatment of endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain, and the treatment of infertility.
Laparoscopy produces very little scar tissue and minimal pain, also ensuring that very few productive hours are lost.
According to Dr. Rockhead, fibroids are still a very big issue among Jamaican women, and they are three to five times more prevalent between women aged 40 to 50. In the local population, 80 per cent of women will develop fibroids and 20 per cent will require treatment.
Improve fertility
Treatment of fibroids, including their removal or myemectomy, is recommended when a young woman wants her chances of fertility improved. The laparoscopic procedure allows the gynaecologist to see the extent of the fibroid structure and do something about it at the same time.
Clients no longer need to wait weeks in between seeing their doctor, doing an ultrasound and a scheduled surgical operation, which will in turn lay them up for weeks while they recover from the cut.
"It is the future of surgery," Dr. Rockhead firmly states.
The hysteroscopy facilitates clients who choose to have their wombs removed.
Usually, they are only advised to do so when cancer is obvious and other disease is in an advanced stage they may personally decide that they would rather live without a womb and its natural complications.
"We believe in informed consent. We give the pros and cons and clients decide what they want," the gynaecologist explains.
The hysteroscopic procedure involves inserting the camera through the cervix for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.
Minimally invasive surgery
The doctor has a full visual field of the cervical area and womb and is also able to do minimally invasive surgery with electric knives in the form of a receptor-scope.
"We can remove small fibroids and polyps for patients who are suffering from heavy bleeding," Dr. Rockhead explains.
The laparoscopic and other minimally invasive procedures are also used to treat infertility, which is defined as the inability of a couple to conceive after one year of sexual intercourse.
Where women are concerned, one cause of infertility is STIs (sexually transmitted infections) which cause destruction of the lining of the tubes, destroy the tube itself, or cause scarring, which makes it impossible for the muscular spasm required to pull eggs to where they can be inseminated.
Laparoscopy, featuring minimal tissue handling, removes scar tissue and other adhesions resulting from the STIs, and free the tubes so that they can work normally.
Healing time is between seven to 10 days, much less than the six weeks required by other invasive surgical procedures, which might also leave their own scarring.
Several women, Dr. Rockhead notes, have delivered bouncing babies after having the scarring removed from their tubes.
Laparoscopic procedure is also used to treat chronic pelvic pain which might be associated with chronic infections or endometriosis, in which the lining of the womb is found in other sites in the body. The gynaecologist can use the receptor to cut away undesired tissue, thereby reducing pain and bleeding.
Female influence
Shaved head gleaming, the 36-year-old doctor, who celebrates his birthday on October 17, is a past student of Rusea's High School in Hanover, and one who could have made his name abroad, but instead chose to remain here to push the frontiers of the practice of gynaecology in Jamaica.
Dr. Rockhead says that he chose gynaecology because he grew up with four sisters, three aunts and a single mom, and so was always immersed in the issues affecting women. The only influential male was an uncle.
He arrived at the University of the West Indies at age 17, completed his medical degree by age 22, and did his internship at the Kingston regional hospitals, including the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH), which he considers to have been one of his most treasured learning experiences.
Dr. Rockhead chose obstetrics and gynaecology, he said, because of his experiences at Victoria Jubilee Hospital, the maternity arm of the KPH. While at Victoria Jubilee, he also started the process of specialisation through additional studies at the University Hospital of the West Indies.
Through training, observerships and conferences both in Jamaica and the United States, he completed preparation for his current consultancy. Dr. Rockhead is also affiliated with professional bodies in the United States, which keep its membership abreast of evolving techniques in gynaecological care.
Along with partner, Dr. Matthew Taylor, he has vowed to keep abreast of First World technologies.
Since 2002, the consultants have worked to acquire the best in equipment through providers in the United Sates, which - including Marina Medical and Blue Endo - Dr. Rockhead notes, have been most accommodating.
The latest machine acquired by the men is the urodynamic machine for urinary function studies, which will be used to make appropriate diagnoses and enhance treatment.
The gynaecologist sees a big future for Jamaica in offering services which are in demand by the U.S. population less than two hours away in Florida.
"As a country we do not understand the possibilities which exist in providing a state-of-the-art health service. We are just one and half hours away from Florida. We are missing the boat in terms of providing a first-rate medical service for this population. Thailand and other far-away nations are profiting from a field which we are truly neglecting," he grumbles, with good cause.
The money earned from health tourism, he believes, could be used to improve the health sector for Jamaicans.
Pleased with progress
Still, Dr. Rockhead is pleased with the progress his partnership has achieved in five years. His busy days begin at 5:50 in the morning when he goes to St. Joseph's, or any other hospital where he is on call. By mid-morning he is ready to see women in his shared practice.
His schedule is intense, leaving little time for extra-curricular interests, but the gynaecologist insists on taking a break every six weeks and - with his fiancée and good friend - travels to relaxing locales, especially to Portland and the island of St. Lucia, which he loves.
"I get burnt out every six weeks and so I make sure to go somewhere to take a breather," he explains.
A really good time involves "hanging out with friends" and indulging an eclectic taste in music involving jazz, reggae, rhythm and blues, live band music. The six-footer also loves sports, particularly soccer and football, but will also lose sleep over basketball and ice hockey. He also loves the gym.
Dr. Charles Rockhead admits that the apple of his eye is his seven-year-old son, Charles Rockhead Jr. "He is my heartbeat," he says.
His future aspirations, he states, involves becoming a better father and a better son to mother Eunice Grant, who has patiently supported him all the way.
