As part of its continuing efforts to enhance the eye clinic at Cayman Islands Hospital, the Lions Club has donated a refrigerator to the facility.
Lions President Walton Gooding was on hand Wednesday, 22 September, to deliver the gift.
‘We are delighted to provide the Lions Eye Clinic with this much-needed fridge, which will be used to store the various medications,’ he said.
Ophthalmologist Dr. Jyotin Pandit, who started at the clinic last month, explained the importance of the refrigerator to the facility.
‘We have a number of medications that require refrigeration of 2-5 degrees Celsius. For example, we use botox for certain neuromuscular conditions such as blepharospasm where the muscles have to be weakened.
‘It costs CI$175 per vial which contains two doses, enough for two patients. Without a refrigerator, the botox would spoil within two hours,’ he said.
In addition, local anaesthetics last longer if kept in the refrigerator, he explained.
‘If we have stocks of local anaesthetics, they stay fresher at lower temperature. Patients appreciate that; the anaesthetic works better when cooler, more of it will remain active,’ Mr. Pandit said.
Before the new refrigerator arrived, all medications were kept over at the hospital’s pharmacy, he explained.
‘The old fridge was washed away by Ivan, so we didn’t keep the medications on site. It is more convenient to keep them at the clinic. It makes life easier for us,’ Mr. Pandit said.
This latest donation is part of the Lions’ ongoing work to repair and upgrade the clinic, especially after the damage caused by Hurricane Ivan.
‘One of our main projects as Lions is a lifelong commitment to help eradicate preventable blindness. We’ll give priority to anything that will help achieve that goal,’ Mr. Gooding said.
Mr. Pandit is the only ophthalmologist at the clinic and works with ophthalmic technician Diane Benson.
The Lions Club has also arranged for the purchase of a digital retinal camera.
Digital photographs will enable the establishment of a database of before and after pictures of the retina, Mr. Pandit explained.
In addition, since there is no retinal specialist on the island, these photos can easily be sent overseas to be assessed, allowing 24-hour turnaround instead of weeks for a retinal opinion, he said.
Estimated cost of the equipment is US$21,000, with an additional $5,000 needed to bring in the technicians necessary to set it up as well as train people on its use and how to archive the data collected.
The equipment is expected to be installed the end of October and the clinic’s staff will be trained on how to operate the camera, according to Mr. Pandit.
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