New Eye Operating Theatre in San Fernando will reduce backlog for surgeries

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar on Friday unveiled a plaque to formally open the Eye Operating Theatre and the newly refurbished Eye/Ent clinic at the San Fernando General Hospital.

In a speech at the event, she said her government has stood by its promise to improve physical infrastructure at public health facilities to ensure first class health care for the people of Trinidad and Tobago.

She noted that the new state of the art theatre was designed to meet the needs of about 600,000 people, which is the catchment area of South West Regional Health Authority.

Persad-Bissessar added that the facilities the operating theatre have been significantly increased to handle cataract surgeries, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and corneographs. 

The capacity has also expanded from an average of five surgeries a day to 11 surgeries in a day, and up to 19 if necessary.

"My Government is committed to providing a higher standard and health care at our public hospitals. Steps are being taken to ensure that the necessary resources are injected into the public health care system," she said.

However she noted that no amount of resources can compensate for a lack of compassion and competence by an institution and its doctors and nurses, in proper patient management and care. 

"There is need for both. The best equipped hospital will fail if the staff lacks the necessary compassion and dedication," she said.

The Prime Minister also spoke about the problems of vision impairment noting that about 100,000 citizens live with this health deficiency although 80 per cent of blindness is avoidable and readily treatable.

She said the prevention of "avoidable visual impairment" leads to substantial long term savings in health care and social expenditure.

"Restorations of sight and blindness prevention strategies are amongst the most cost effective health care interventions, with tangible results that make a major difference in the daily lives of our people," Persad-Bissessar stated.

She noted that as life expectancy increases, chronic blinding conditions such as diabetic retinopathy, cataracts and glaucoma are projected to rise.

"In fact, the three most common conditions presented at public health eye clinics, which, if untreated can lead to vision impairment and blindness, are diabetes, cataracts and glaucoma," she said.

She said seven in every 10 eye surgeries performed locally are for the removal of cataracts and these operations have been largely successful.

The Prime Minister said while Diabetes remains one of the main causes of vision problems in Trinidad and Tobago many people don't even know they have the disease until it begins to affect their sight.