New facility for stroke, diabetes treatment

The federation noted that by 2040 this figure would rise to 60.5 million.

According to www.

world-heart-federation.org, 15 million people, worldwide, suffer a stroke. The site noted six million die and another five are left permanently disabled. The article said: “In many developed countries the incidence of stroke is declining even though the actual number of strokes is increasing because of the ageing population.

“In the developing world, however, the incidence of stroke is increasing. In China, 1.3 million people have a stroke each year and 75 percent live with varying degrees of disability as a result of stroke. The predictions for the next two decades suggest a tripling in stroke mortality in Latin America, the Middle East, and sub-Saharan Africa.” While these statistics are reasons enough for Dr Gerard Antoine wanting to do something about diabetes and strokes in TT, it is having lost his mother at a young age that prompted him into a career in the medical profession.

Antoine’s mother died during childbirth at the San Fernando General Hospital in 1972.

Fast forward decades later and Antoine has returned to his place of birth wanting to share his medical knowledge gained in the US to fight against diabetes and strokes in TT. The Stroke and Diabetes Centre is under construction at 10 Piarco Plaza, Trinidad. It will begin operations on January 27.

In an interview with Newsday Antoine said, “I left Trinidad at the age of 14 after the death of my mother at a local hospital. My family immigrated to the US and we moved to Chicago…” Antoine then joined the US Army at 17 and studied medicine at Georgetown Medical School and National Rehabilitation Center, Washington DC. Antoine is a physiatrist - a medical doctor who specialises in physical medicine, rehabilitation and pain medicine.

Antoine said his goal, after completing medical school was always to return home and, “have something to do with the medical fraternity in TT.” Antoine said he almost specialised in obstetrics and gynaecology but after having met a Trinidadian doctor who was a physical, medical, rehab physician he changed his mind.

The US certified physiatrist was deployed during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars as a general physician. But he spent a vast majority of his time treating and doing pain management, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury and seeing stroke patients.

Antoine retired on October 1, 2016, after spending over three decades in the US Army. “For the past five years I have planned my coming home to establish the Stroke and Diabetes Centre,” he said.

He has partnered with college, Dr Marshalee George from the John Hopkins Institute to get the centre up and running in TT.

The nurse practitioner, he added, would be returning to TT.

The centre intends to offer physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, lymphedema therapy, a cancer survivorship programme, diabetes management, EMG (electromyography) and nerve conduction study as well as general and primary care services.

It also offers executive medical exams, mental health counselling, ultrasound guided musculoskeletal injections, non-communicable disease screenings, electronic medical records, after summary visit, EKGs (electrocardiograms), spirometry, body analysis, blood tests and urinalysis.

Antoine said in a country where there are four to five times the number of strokes per 100,000 as compared to the US or Canada or most western developed countries, there should have been a multidisciplinary stroke programme in TT.

“Because there is that significant void Dr Marshalee George and I from John Hopkins University decided to do this here,” he said. Antoine said despite repeated attempts to reach out to the different regional health authorities and the Ministry of Health he has had no response. This led to him starting his own practice and centre.

Ultimately, Antoine intends to hold a top post within the local medical fraternity. Antoine also started the group Caribbean Medical Providers Practicing Abroad.

The group would be hosting its fourth annual medical conference and community outreach programme on June 9 to 11 in Barbados