WESTERN BUREAU:

As part of the modernisation process of the health sector, the Cornwall Regional Hospital in Montego Bay, St. James was on Tuesday furnished with a new state-of-the-art computed tomography (CAT Scan machine) and a digital fluoroscopy machine valued at US$1.5 million (approximately J$102 million).

According to Health Minister Horace Dalley, the main focus of the modernisation would be placed on "improving infrastructure and ensuring that clinical standards are met".

The equipment will enable medical professionals to deliver more efficient services in the Radiology Department.

The CAT scan is capable of studying many parts of the human body, while the Fluoroscopy machine is able to perform normal and special x-rays, which will enable clinicians to view the spine in real time motion. It also accommodates barium meal x-rays.

Better service

The benefits for patients in the western region are far reaching, as the acquisition of the new machinery will result in faster services, quicker diagnoses, and cheaper services for persons who previously had to travel to Kingston or access private medical centres for treatment of this nature.

Meanwhile, Dr. Sheila Campbell- Forrester, chief medical officer (CMO), called for more attention to be paid to primary health care.

"Primary health care must go hand in hand with the strengthening of hospital care. One tenet is to take health care tothe people and this is critical in reducing chronic and communicable diseases and in keeping persons healthy and out of hospital," she stressed.

Dalley also highlighted a myriad of developments at the 32-year-old institution, costing a total of over $160 million, which include the upgrading of the Intensive Care Unit from a two to seven-bed facility, repairs to windows and roofs, and new elevators among others.