Directors of the Princess Elizabeth Centre on Ariapita Avenue, Woodbrook, have received equipment worth more than US$100,000 for the establishment of a children's hand and upper limb clinic. The equipment was donated by US hand surgeons Terry Whipple and Ty Cobb and presented to Princess Elizabeth director Felix Pierre by Caribbean Hand Centre director Godfrey Araujo at a handing-over ceremony on Thursday.
Araujo has facilitated the donation of the equipment. He said the clinic will provide a much- needed service for disabled children. The small bone equipment and the arthroscopy tower are the only set in T&T and will allow Princess Elizabeth Centre medical volunteers to provide services not currently available at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital or Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope.
Arthroscopy equipment allows for an intricate procedure known as keyhole surgery. "We would like to increase our local capacity to train locals, reduce the overall economic cost and build capacity in this specialised area," he said. He added that the Princess Elizabeth Centre has the potential to become a focus of expertise on hand and limb operations in the Caribbean.
Pierre said that along with the new equipment, the centre will also be renovating its operating theatre and adding X-ray and MRI equipment to their existing facilities. "The Princess Elizabeth Centre will be an international quality healthcare provider equipped with state-of-the-art technology and facilities to improve the lives of the physically challenged," said Pierre. Also attending the presentation was Dr Rohit Doon, the Ministry of Health's public health adviser.
