The Bustamante Hospital for Children has received several pieces of equipment to reduce the risk and possible incidents that may occur while treating patients.

Orville 'Shaggy' Burrell, head of Shaggy and Friends Make A Difference Foundation, handed over the equipment yesterday on the lawns of the hospital.

The equipment included 19 syringe pumps; 22 value metric pumps; four hospital stretchers; three Bair Huggers; one surgical microscope; five signal pulse oximeters; nine vital signs monitors and 10 examination lights.

The Medical Supplier's Mid-wife in Florida also donated a blood warmer to the hospital.

Dr Lambert Inniss, consultant and head of the Department of Anaes-thesiology at the hospital, noted that the institution had a limited number, and in some cases none, of the equipment donated yesterday.

Important machine

He said that the syringe infusion pump, which is primarily used in the intensive care unit and in the operating theatre, is used to give small doses (medicine) of the most potent medication to small children.

Inniss referred to a call received Tuesday night about a 27-week-old baby weighing 900 grams born out of Kingston, to emphasise the importance of the machine.

"To properly medicate such a baby, we need an infusion pump," Inniss said.

Dr Inniss, in thanking the foundation, said, "It is not easy when you are in my position, along with the other members of staff, looking after the little ones and seeing the depressed look in the eyes of their parents."

He continued, "We know what to do, but yet we struggle to offer the best we can."

Jodi Anglin, a nurse on the Orthopaedic Ward, said, "In terms of technology, the equipment will make work lighter and easier. It will maximise and improve the care given to each child."