A new Foetal Monitor, which will improve the standard of obstetric care, is now in use at the Princess Alexandra Hospital. It was purchased in Miami, Florida – and shipped to Anguilla – at a cost of almost US $14, 300. The equipment, which was supplied through General Electric, was handed over by Governor Christina Scott, whose office financed it.
Speaking at the handing over ceremony on Monday, October 20, Mr. George Brown, Chief Executive Officer of the Health Authority of Anguilla, described the foetal monitor as the lifeblood of the obstetrics unit and an added facility to a recently-acquired ultrasound device.
Mr. Brown thanked Governor Scott for providing the required funding, and noted that the equipment was only the beginning of a list of devices needed at the hospital.
Minister of Health, Mr. Evans McNiel Rogers, whose intention is to see the hospital become a centre of excellence, thanked the staff of the Health Authority for its work over the years in very trying circumstances. “Our needs are so many and our resources are so few – and even though there are so many needs, you, our staff, are doing a stellar job with what you have,” stated. He also thanked the Governor for providing the funds for the foetal monitor and disclosed that he had been doing a lot of work towards obtaining a CT scan machine, and other equipment, in cooperation with General Electric and the Anguillian community.
Paediatrician, Dr. Singh Minott, said in part: “We are very grateful to the Governor’s office for the long-awaited foetal monitor. It is almost two years that we have been waiting for this equipment. The foetal monitor is very important to monitor mothers who are in labour…It has been very difficult during the past two years to have been working without it… but we have done very well.”
Governor Scott said her office recognised the resources challenges faced by the Government – not just in the health sector, but in wider areas, and the burden placed on staff trying to provide world-class care at the hospital in particular. She was delighted that her office was able to assist with the purchase of the foetal monitor and looked forward to be of further assistance.
Other persons who participated in the handing-over ceremony were Dr. Emmanuel Ogunde, who chaired the proceedings; Mrs. Colvette Coley, Director of Nursing Services, who gave the Vote of Thanks; and Mr. Malcolm Webster, Director of Facilities, who delivered the opening prayer.
