MANDEVILLE, Manchester —The use of three donated digital laryngoscopes valued at $1.2 million over the last two months has greatly assisted medical staff at the Mandeville Regional Hospital, according to Alwyn Miller, chief executive officer at the hospital.

The digital equipment, which was donated by the Rotary Club of Mandeville in partnership with the National Commercial Bank (NCB) Foundation, has helped to reduce the risk of medical staff being exposed to COVID-19.

“These are not the regular laryngoscopes,” Miller explained.

“Essentially it is a scope with a camera and light source that allows the doctor to be able to see down the throat when inserting the tubes. This aids in certainly helping them to better see what they are doing and in terms of a measure to make the process safer, particularly during this time of COVID-19. It enables the doctor to do it without going as close as he would have with a manual laryngoscope,” he went on.

Dr Miller thanked the donors for partnering with the public health sector.

“This has come at a very opportune time and is very useful to our clinical team particularly those who are in anesthetics to get this equipment in terms of treating patients,” he said.

District Rotary Foundation Chair Dr Patrick Adizua expounded on how the instruments are used by doctors.

He disclosed that with the digital laryngoscopes doctors can better treat patients and get a visualisation of the larynx which is a part of the throat which he said is vital in treating COVID-19 patients.

— Kasey Williams