Church leaders welcome plans for burn unit at CRH

WESTERN BUREAU:

Reverend Glendon Powell, head of the St James Ministers Fraternal, is hailing the development of a burn unit at the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) in Montego Bay as a major step forward for healthcare in western Jamaica.

According to Powell, it could reduce the need for critically injured patients to be taken for care outside the region or flown overseas.

“What interests me a lot is that we are now going to have a burn unit that is something that was missing for a long time. If we have somebody burned 90 per cent or 80 per cent, they have to be flown away to the United States or somewhere else,” said Powell.

Powell was speaking during a press conference at Burchell Baptist Church in Montego Bay last Wednesday following a tour of the hospital just over a week ago by more than 25 church leaders. The members of the clergy got a firsthand look at the hospital’s redevelopment and expansion of services.

The urgency behind Powell’s comments is underscored by a number of major burn cases in recent years which required patients to seek specialised treatment overseas despite health officials saying they are capable of stabilising and treating many burn cases locally.

In February, Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton noted that Jamaica treats more than 1,000 burn victims annually at public facilities, including CRH, the Kingston Public Hospital, and the University Hospital of the West Indies. He admitted, however, that some severe cases require overseas referral.

Dr Delroy Fray, clinical coordinator at the Western Regional Health Authority, said the critical period in severe burn treatment is the first 24 to 48 hours and maintained that CRH has the capacity to stabilise such patients during that period.

He said the development of a dedicated burn unit at CRH was first announced in March 2023, noting that the facility was being developed as part of the hospital’s expanded services. The old hospital building also had a dedicated area in its intensive care unit for burn victims, he added.

“In the past, we have had a great plastic surgeon, who has developed the protocols that are concerned with that. What we need now is the physical facility to implement such a unit and that is on the drawing board and will be implemented,” said Fray.

The tour of CRH by Powell and the other church leaders provided them with insight on the improvements at the hospital, including preparations for the installation of magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography machines, a central sterilisation facility and an increase in intensive-care capacity from five to seven beds.

Powell said the church leaders welcomed the progress and commended the Ministry of Health & Wellness for the investment and the work being carried out.

“When we went to the hospital, we were elated, we were blessed. We saw some things that we did not know and when we were shown certain things, I must say upfront that we have a good way to go with that hospital, but what we have seen completed so far, we are [getting] a first-world hospital,” he said.

According to Powell, the ministers’ fraternal is more than willing to become directly involved in supporting the hospital and its workers by providing counselling and psychosocial support, arguing that healthcare professionals themselves face significant emotional and psychological pressures.

“We are willing – not just for the patients – we are willing to give counsel, give help to the hospital to ensure that the staff are mentally okay,” he said.

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com