FOR over one year, the only ultrasound machine in the antenatal ward at Victoria Jubilee Hospital (VJH) in Kingston was out of commission.

However, that problem was solved on Wednesday through the donation of a new $5-million Mindray ultrasound machine, courtesy of the Corybantes/Tang Charity Trust.

Dr Garth McDonald, senior medical officer (SMO) at VJH, told the Jamaica Observer that the institution was grateful for the donation and shared that the machine was to be put into use before the day ended on Wednesday.

“It goes into use this afternoon,” McDonald said.

“The machine we had on the labour ward went down over a year ago and around that time, the foundation reached out to us. They were willing to donate and we worked out the logistics and it is finally here,” the proud SMO shared.

McDonald said the machine will give medical teams additional diagnostic ability to lessen morbidity.

“We have ongoing training for all our resident doctors to upskill them. With this, patients will benefit, because it will be at the fingertips of the doctors. Once a woman comes into labour and she develops any issues and we require additional information, we can get that right there on the labour ward without her moving.

“The machine has a whole lot of features that will assist us. It is very high-tech with increased storage and image quality,” he added.

Julian Rodney, representative of East Health Technology, the distributor of Mindray ultrasound machines in Jamaica, told the
Observer that the machine at VJH was the first one they provided to a public institution.

“This machine is very advanced. It has some artificial intelligence functionality which will enable physicians to easily diagnose, identify and give comfort to expectant mothers.

“The Mindray ultrasound machine is the leading ultrasound machine in Jamaica, and globally it is in the top three. This machine is called the Mindray Consona N9. They have quite a number of Mindray machines in this hospital and across the country, but this is one of the latest models in Jamaica. Images and readings can be produced in seconds. Within seconds of providing that image, a full report on the biometrics of the foetus can be shown.

“This is a wonderful machine and it is the first one that’s been delivered into the public sector. It will go a long way in helping expectant mothers feel comfortable,” he said.

Alice Dillworth, a representative of the Corybantes/Tang Charity Trust, said it was a pleasure to have presented such an important piece of equipment to the hospital in memory of Dr Keith Tang.

“Dr Keith Tang, who died in 2019, was recruited from England in 1962 to work as a consultant at Victoria Jubilee Hospital. I worked with him for 50 years. He stayed at Jubilee until 1991 and was SMO before he retired in 1991,” Dillworth said.

A photograph of the late Dr Keith Tang, whose trust donated the machine.