Hargreaves Adds New Wing and Dedicates CT Room

Mandeville, Manchester:

Since the reins of the Hargreaves Memorial Hospital were taken over by a new management team in 2006, there has been considerable growth and an increase in the services offered. The newest developments include a new CT room and a wing consisting of 20 suites.

At the official opening and dedication of the new facilities on Thursday, March 26, the compound of the hospital, bought and headed by Calvin and Sylvia Lyn, accommodated hundreds of persons who witnessed the finished products.

With many persons having to travel overseas for rare surgeries such as spinal surgery and stents placement, according to Senior Medical Officer Dr Azzard Comrie, in addition to the new buildings, there has been and will continue to be an increased number of specialist doctors and improved medical services. "We have a cardiologist here and we will be putting in stents. Just recently, we did a spinal surgery on a 90-plus-year-old woman who was able to walk the next day; and with the newly added CT scan, we will be able to do virtual colonoscopy, lung scans for pulmonary embolism, and the works. We are also working on getting two operating theatres for brain surgery, lessening the need for persons to travel overseas for medical care."

In sharing the sentiments of those who spoke highly of the Lyns and their contribution, Comrie said that the hospital had come a long way. "Not only did they take on a hospital that was old, but much of its equipment was deteriorating and everything had to replaced. Now, this place looks nothing like what it used to. We have a consultancy wing, a pharmacy, a lab, and a medical complex."

Minister of Health Dr Fenton Ferguson, who was on site for the opening, said. "The private health system plays an important role in improving the health of the population and contributes somewhere around three per cent of GDP to the health sector. I am, therefore, pleased to be part of this event to commission the 64-slice CT machine and open new rooms of the hospital, which presents a tremendous opportunity for the community and the country."

With persons of the view that the services offered are unaffordable, the management implores persons to visit and experience the place that has offerings for all. "As you walk through the doors of Hargreaves, you feel at ease in this sophisticated health facility with an atmosphere that emphasises a warm and caring environment, where patients enjoy a positive experience as the owners and staff would want if the roles were reversed. This hospital is a beacon of light in the scheme of public-private partnerships for the delivery of health services," stated client Audrey Hinchcliffe.

The dedication ceremony ended with an awards ceremony for a few doctors and nurses who have pioneered the high-class medical care that the facility offers.

rural@gleanerjm.com