Health Authority and Karl Storz representatives
The Operating Theatre at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Anguilla has been substantially upgraded with the acquisition and installation of a brand new fully-equipped Karl Storz Laparoscopic Tower.
The robust German-manufactured equipment, found in all major hospitals world-wide, costs in the area of 200,000 pounds. It was funded by the United Kingdom Government on behalf of the Government of Anguilla.
Speaking during its installation on Tuesday, January 29, Minister of Health, Mr. Evans Rogers, told The Anguillian newspaper that his aim was to ensure that the Health Authority of Anguilla had the best equipment to deliver its services to the people of the island.
“In keeping with upgrading our facilities, we embarked on a programme where we want the best for Anguilla,” said the Minister, a trained health professional turned politician. “I discussed the upgrading of the electrical equipment with the Chief Surgeon in Anguilla, Dr. Rakovets; the Director of Medical Services; and the entire team at the hospital. There were a number of international companies [to order] the equipment from, but I wanted to go to the top and that is why we went to Karl Storz. They are world-renowned. They are in Europe, the United States and all around the world.”
Dr. Alex Rakovets, the Consultant General Surgeon and Head of Surgery at the hospital , a national of Ukraine, who described himself as “a citizen of the world,” spoke to The Anguillian about the multi-operating features of the Laparoscopic Tower. “It is a cutting edge, brand new, very technological and very advanced Laparoscopic and Endoscopic Tower,” he said. “It will allow us to perform a lot of stuff here at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, and will reduce the transportation of patients overseas.”
He stated that the hospital was now ready to offer a number of specialized services including the diagnosing of colon cancer. “I have faced this many times since the one year I have been here, and we can run some screening campaigns to find people with early stages of colonic cancer. That equipment is just an amazing diagnostic tool, and I would say that this equipment is probably the most advanced in the Caribbean. Secondly, we can do a lot of surgical interventions – with minimal invasive procedures – such as gallbladder surgery, colon surgery and pancreatic surgery as well. Literarily, everything can be done in the abdomen laparoscopic (if it is not emergency or elective surgery) with this equipment. I am happy and excited.”
Meanwhile, a press release from the Health Authority stated that with the equipment patients will have “the benefits of laparoscopic surgery as opposed to general open surgery. These benefits will also include reduced pain (due to smaller incisions), reduced haemorrhaging, and shorter recovery time.”
The release added: “Using this advanced equipment, the surgical staff will be able to provide flexible endoscopic procedures as well as minimally invasive laparoscopic procedures.”
Representatives from Karl Storz, the global manufacturer and distributor of endoscopes, medical instruments and devices, were in Anguilla from January 28 to 30. The visiting team installed the equipment and trained the Health Authority’s surgical staff as well as a number of invited local physicians who work at the hospital occasionally.
