More kidney transplants at CRH today

More kidney transplants at Cornwall Regional Hospital

*.....UK team back to assist local medics*

Adrian Frater-News Editor

Western Bureau-

Having successfully completed its first kidney transplants last year, the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH), in Montego Bay, is poised to break further grounds today as three of its dialysis patients are slated to get new kidneys in operations slated for that institution today.

The hospital will again be partnering with Transplant Links Community (TLC) of the United Kingdom, Chase Fund, the National Health Fund (NHF) and Sandals to give the three recipients a chance to live a life free of kidney troubles.

Health Minister, Dr Fenton Ferguson, who publicly commended the hospital after the first operation last year, describe what is happening as a bold initiative aimed at improving local health care.

"This is a bold step in government's efforts to improve the quality of health care for all and to make services such as kidney transplantation more accessible to those in need," said Ferguson. "...the partnership with the UK experts in the field will redound to the benefit of our health staff as it affords them the opportunity of getting additional hands-on experience in a highly skilled area of surgery."

Kidney dialysis is a life-support treatment that uses a special machine to filter harmful wastes, salt, and excess fluid from contaminated blood. It restores the blood to normal.

Dr Andrew Ready, the consultant renal transplant surgeon and medical director of Transplant Links, said the transplants now being undertaken at the Montego Bay based hospital, are also designed to teach the skill.

"This next set of transplants is vital for keeping the momentum of the project going, and for us to teach the skills so that many more Jamaicans can benefit in the future," said Dr Ready.

Cornwall Regional Hospital had its first kidney transplant in 2013 at a time when the institution was coming under increasing pressure due to the increasing number of persons turning up at the facility with kidney-related disorders.

"Kidney disease is expensive to manage and the cost increases as the disease progresses," said Anthony Smikle, the chief executive officer at CRH. "There is also concern that given the limited resources locally, most of the patients have financial difficulties in acquiring this service overseas and therefore they stay on dialysis for the rest of their lives."

In praising the initiative at CRH, health minister Ferguson said his ministry will continue to support any initiative that will lead to better health care locally.

"We have an excellent team of health workers and I will continue to support any initiative that will enable us to attain our 2030 goal of Jamaica being, "a country with health care system that s affordable, provides services in locations that everyone can reach," said Ferguson.