PM Terrance Drew praises JNF eye clinic for conducting 70 cataract surgeries

Prime Minister Terrance Drew took to social media lately, praising the JNF Eye Clinic, a subsidiary of the government-owned JNF General Hospital. The clinic announced the resumption of eye operations and cataract surgeries in January and has performed 70 cataract surgeries since then.

Naturally, the government’s direct involvement in acquiring new equipment earlier this year has been a great help, allowing the medical staff to perform various types of eye surgeries.

The JNF Eye Clinic had ceased its services in June 2022, precisely because the staff lacked the proper equipment to perform complex surgeries. The resumption of these services is being seen as a boon to patients who would otherwise have to look for alternatives.

PM Dr Terrance Drew, who was previously the Minister of Health, took office in August 2022 and stated publicly that the hospital would be brought to full functionality as soon as possible. He has been directly involved in the progress that the hospital has made in the short span of a few months.

Under this initiative, the Ministry of Health oversaw the procurement of new equipment worth EC$784,564. Some of the advanced machinery included:

A Visuref 150 Autorefractor- A state of the art instrument which allows for reliable and quick refraction and keratometry. The instrument also provides cornea and pupil diameter measurements and helps in assessing the patient’s condition in detail.

A ZEISS OPMI LUMERA 700- This high-grade surgical microscope allows surgeons to perform every form of cataract surgery with brilliant anterior views and accurate assistance functions.

Multiple Electrosurgery Forceps- This surgical tool is used to dissect, fulgurate, ablate, shrink tissues, cut and coagulate during various surgical procedures related to the eye.

As a result of the procurement of such equipment, the JNR Eye Clinic has gained the ability to function at full capacity over the past few months and looks to continue its excellent medical services for the foreseeable future.

The clinic has reached such levels of efficiency that with this equipment, a cataract surgery can be completed within the span of 15 to 20 mins.

Following the positive developments in the functioning of the JNF General Hospital, PM Dr Terrance Drew was quite pleased with the fact that the governments investment, amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars was well spent.

As the Hospital achieved the landmark of 70 cataract surgeries, PM Drew congratulated and lauded Dr Crespo, the nurses and the staff at the JNF Eye Clinic for their determination towards patients and the hard work and dedication with which they have pursued their tasks.