The Ministry of Health and Social Development and the Health Authority of Anguilla have been presented with two donations towards the purchase of a much needed CT Scanner for the Princess Alexandra Hospital. The donors were the Anguilla Social Security Board which donated $150,000 USD and the Anguilla Electricity Company (ANGLEC) which donated $100,000 USD. Both donations were presented at the Hospital on November 25th, 2015.
The CT Scan machine is a project initiated by the Minister of Health and Social Development, Hon. Evans McNeil Rogers. The equipment sourced in the United States, from General Electric, carries a cost of between US $500,000 and $550,000. Combined, both donations totaled approximately half of the required funding. As part of the negotiations with the manufacturers, Mr. Rogers noted, “When it comes to training, I have secured [places for] between two and four of the radiographers to be trained”. He is seeking the additional financing from other corporate citizens.
Mr. Rogers said the equipment will serve a vital role in the provisions of public health services and patient care at the hospital. He was joined in expressing gratitude to the donors by Mr. George Brown, CEO of the Health Authority of Anguilla, and the Radiologist, Dr. Cheryl Dangleben, who gave an overview of the need and functions of the state of the art equipment. She noted, “It is very important to add additional modality to our studies. Any finding that is unclear in other studies, such as X-rays and ultrasounds, can be clarified by the CT most times”.
Other speakers were Mr. Russell Reid, Chairman of the Anguilla Social Security Board; the Director Mr. Timothy Hodge; Mr. David Gumbs, Chief Executive Officer of ANGLEC; and Chairman of ANGLEC, Mr. Harold Ruan. In his remarks Mr. Timothy Hodge said, “We at the Social Security Board are pleased to be associated with this initiative…This [donation] is really being made on behalf of every worker of Anguilla”. The CEO of ANGLEC noted that it was important that a greater focus was paid to the health of persons residing in Anguilla as well as its visitors. He said, “Given the needs and economics of our country, we do need to come together and make sure that we can provide critical services for the people of Anguilla. We take our responsibility to community very seriously, therefore the decision from ANGLEC was that we should move forward with this contribution in order for us to help better our overall community and save lives”.
It is hoped that the CT Scanner will become a reality in Anguilla by the first half of 2016.
