Health facility provides hope for northeastern parishes
Published:Sunday | October 30, 2022 | 12:07 AMGareth Davis Sr - Sunday Gleaner Writer
The desire to provide critical and high-quality healthcare, especially in an emergency situation, is what influenced the move to construct a healthcare facility dubbed “a legacy for the people in the northeastern region of the island”, offering a wide range of services, including for cancer patients, such as ultrasound, CT scan, X-ray, biopsy, urology, and oncology.
The opening of the Metcalfe Medical Centre on Main Street in Annotto Bay, St Mary, is part of a dream, which has since been transformed into a reality for interim manager Angela Fraser, who pointed out that there was a definite need to address the plight faced by residents in accessing quality healthcare in St Mary, Portland, and beyond.
Fraser, who stated that the newly opened health facility was conceptualised for the people, said the staff and “dedicated and compassionate professionals” are committed to seeing to the well-being of their patients.
“Healthcare is rather expensive, and we know that not everybody is fortunate enough to afford such, so we are putting in place a payment plan so that our patients can be served in all areas,” noted Fraser.
“I want the community and those who come to this facility for the service to know that this was built for them. It has been a longstanding issue wherein the people of St Mary and Portland have to travel into St Ann's Bay and Kingston to access specialised services. So this facility was built to offer services that were not readily available such as CT scan, ultrasound, and X-ray and other specialised services like urology, paediatrics, and oncology.”
Metcalfe Medical Centre opened its doors in May this year following a two-year delay because of the COVID-19 pandemic. So far, only one of three floors (done in three phases) have been completed, which currently provides minor operations, CT scan, ultrasound, X-ray, intervention radiology, laboratory services, and chemotherapy, among other things.
Phases Two and Three of the development, comprising a second and third floor, will include a major operating theatre, endoscopy services, a recovery section, and a state-of-the-art conference room upon completion.
Although the new health facility is currently offering much- needed services to the people of the northeastern region of the island, Fraser pointed out that they are currently pursuing a partnership with the Government to expand.
“We plan to serve three hospitals in Portland, St Mary, and St Ann. In fact, our target market is centred around St Mary, St Ann, upper St Andrew, and Portland. So we are partnering with the Government to offer the services that are not readily available in those hospitals to fill those gaps. We have applied to be a provider for the Enhancement Fund through the Ministry of Health, and we are in the process of getting our documents,” Fraser told The Sunday Gleaner.
“This is easily the largest capital investment for the town of Annotto Bay. We have always taken an approach that life is not all about us. It has not been an easy road, but we are committed, and we have left no stones unturned. We will see this project through. When you can serve the most vulnerable, you get a sense of satisfaction that you have actually assisted those in need of healthcare.”
Metcalfe Medical Centre is enhanced by the availability of one of the most modern CT scan machines, which is fully digitised, and according to radiographer Nickeisha Williams, it is able to scan the brain, chest, ribs, ankle, and spine.
“Sometimes we have interventional procedures where we do biopsies for different cancers. So I use the CT scan machine in order to see the marker where the suspected sight of the cancer is to ensure that we are at the right place,” Williams said.