Having had a front seat view to the struggles faced by patients suffering from poor circulation, two young medical doctors have partnered to make compression therapy more affordable and accessible to Jamaicans.

Dr Mickhail Benjamin and Dr Duhaney Johnson, a pair of 29 year-olds who have been friends since high school at St George’s College, founded Uniflo Compression Wear in 2023, offering compression garments – including stockings, socks and ripple mattress covers – at what the principals say are a fraction of the cost compared to competitors.

“Whenever I recommended compression garments to patients, I would find that patients wouldn’t be able to source the compression garments. Either the garments are too hard to come about or the garments are way too expensive,” said Dr Benjamin as he explained the rationale behind starting the business.

Uniflo Compression Wear logo

“I found that a lot of times, if I was, for instance, going overseas, I would be buying compression garments and just bringing them back to some of my patients, because they would be having real debilitating pain from the poor circulation,” the general practioner continued. “There was no way that they could feasibly address it, because it’s either the compression garments are really hard to source or they are just ridiculously expensive.”

According to Dr Benjamin, a pair of compression socks is sold for as much as $9,000 at local pharmacies.

“Right now, we’re selling a pair of compression socks for $4,000,” he said.

Poor circulation is a common problem among adults and can develop into serious health risks, including dermatitis and chronic ulcers, if not properly managed.

“Poor circulation can also cause the development of blood clots in the legs, because if the blood isn’t flowing properly, it’s going to clot and coagulate,” Dr Benjamin said. “Once it clots and coagulates, it’s going to clog up the blood vessels in the legs. The clot in the leg can break off and go to the lung, something that we call a pulmonary embolism.”

He added that a pulmonary embolism can result in serious lung complications and even death.

Dr Duhaney Johnson and Dr Mickhail Benjamin in medical school in 2015

“Pulmonary embolism can literally shut off the entire airway in such a way that there’s literally tissue in the lung for the exchange of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and other gases. Pulmonary embolism can lead to death, and if somebody does live after a pulmonary embolism, they can take at least six months for a blood thinner,” Dr Benjamin said.

The general practitioner also explained that blood is more prone to clotting during pregnancy, which can have long-term consequences.

Dr Benjamin said Uniflo aims to “reduce the prevalence of poor circulation” and “also, stop poor circulation from getting to severe heart extreme manifestations in persons who already have it.”

He also noted that when customers reach out to Uniflo via its social media platforms, they speak directly with either him or Dr Johnson, both of whom are able to provide medical guidance to assist with purchasing decisions.

Dr Benjamin said feedback from patients and healthcare professionals has been overwhelmingly positive.