THE EDITOR, Sir:
THIS IS in response to an article captioned 'JHTA raises millions for burn victims' in your Hospitality Jamaica supplement of August 3.
I refer in particular to the paragraph "According to Dr. Williams, he can provide the same level of care as any other hospital in the world. He simply needs the funds to purchase the necessary supplies."
It would either be extremely naïve or arrogant of me to suggest that the care I can provide to a burn patient at the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) is equal to that offered in the best hospitals in the world and I never made such a statement.
Some of the major hospitals in the developed world have specialised burn units which are staffed with specialist personnel and equipped with the latest in technological advancements, solely for the care of burn victims. One of the latest innovations in burn care is the bio-engineering of 'artificial skin' for the coverage of the most severely burned patients. This is by no means meant to diminish the excellent record of care given to burn patients by the doctors, nurses and other members of the health team at the CRH, over the years, in the context of our available resources.
The care of patients with major burns is a very costly exercise in terms of the personnel and supplies required to care for these patients. For example, it takes four to six persons just to do a dressing change (performed once or twice daily) and these patients require intensive nursing care and monitoring. The massive amount of supplies needed can put a strain on the Sterile Supply Department of any hospital, and in this regard the financial help from the JHTA is welcome and useful in the instant case. However, 'simply having the funds to purchase the necessary supplies' is obviously not the whole story.
I am, etc.,
(DR.) GEOFFREY WILLIAMS
Consultant Plastic Surgeon,
Cornwall Regional Hospital,
Montego Bay
