Visiting medics offer much hope for TT patients

Since the first team of Missions International/Operation Rainbow doctors performed free surgery at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC), Mt Hope, the programme has “taken on a life of its own.” “No one can stop it,” said Dr Rowland Moze, Medical Chief of Staff of the facility. In an interview he expressed the hope that the EWMSC would be “bombarded” with missions working alongside locals to reduce the backlog of surgical cases and share experience in specialised areas which are in short supply in TT.

Moze said the contribution of the missions was a skills bank of individuals.  “The burden is big. We appreciate the help. We can get more done.” He said some people have the impression that foreign doctors possess skills which the locals do not have. “That is not so. One or two may require additional expertise but the situation is we have the spare capacity at Mt Hope, and we don’t have enough surgeons. It would be obscene to block the missions.” Although EWMSC has 14 theatres available, only three or four are regularly used because there are not enough surgeons and anaesthetists. Theatre time is limited. Moze said in the early days of EWMSC, he had six operating lists, but today he has two. He said operating lists have been reduced by 50 percent for all surgeons.

To cope with the magnitude of cases, doctors may perform procedures which could be done faster (although still of benefit to the patient), instead of a superior technique that could take three to five hours. He said it was incumbent upon the authorities to increase staff. Moze said there were approximately 15 orthopaedic surgeons in TT. If the international recommendation of one orthopaedic surgeon per 35,000 population were used with a population of 1.4 million TT should have 40 surgeons. Moze said he has two operating sessions each month and said getting 20 days of work done could take ten months.

He said the visits by the teams from Operation Rainbow have provided an opportunity for sharing and exchanges of techniques. It is also a chance to fill the gap in areas where local skills fall short. Apart from Dr David Toby, Moze said TT has no other doctors trained in paediatric orthopaedics. He said the country also needed nephrologists, paediatric cardiologists and paediatric cardiac surgeons. Moze is making the most of the chances available since the first mission arrived last June. He said in July, Dr Jay Cox, a sports specialist affiliated with Health Volunteers Overseas, would be in TT to treat sports injuries. “There are many youngsters with damaged ligaments whose surgical care cannot be expedited for various reasons. Port-of-Spain General Hospital sees most of them but it does not have the equipment,” Moze said.

Missions International Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Dr Brian Lushington, said the response from the public has been tremendous. “Our phones are continually ringing every day. People are calling with all kinds of problems.” He said the Health Ministry provided a list of surgical cases from all public institutions. The people who contacted Missions International/Operation Rainbow were also added. “The rule of thumb” is that the most difficult cases (which local surgeons cannot deal with because of lack of equipment, anaesthetists, time) are done.  “We are never able to do everybody. But certainly we will do the most complex or urgent cases. They get priority.”

A non-surgical team comprising doctors, dentists and optometrists is expected in TT next month. They will be based at the Belmont Community Centre, Maloney Community Centre and at Diamond Village, San Fernando. In May a surgical team of orthopaedic surgeons and urologists will arrive. Lushington said discussions are taking place on how to maximise the services of the large paediatric surgery team from Sweden that will be visiting in June. The 21 surgeons will be distributed among health institutions. “We have an idea we are playing with of having operations done for 24 hours.” Lushington said talks on Operation Rainbow doing work in TT began two years ago but really took off when John Rahael became health minister.