00:00 The Community Hospital of the Seven Day Adventists is 61 years and was relaunched last week.
00:07 According to its chief executive officer, Dr. Stephen Carroll, the hospital was first opened to supplement the public health care system.
00:15 And he tells us that purpose has not changed.
00:19 Wherever there are gaps in the system where the government has challenges, Community Hospital as a private institution is willing to step in.
00:28 We have done some of it already. We have already worked with the ministry.
00:33 If there's an equipment issue, we will fill in the gap and provide, let's say, CAT scan services.
00:40 Dr. Carroll states that it extends to several other areas as well.
00:45 But now the hospital has a vision that will incorporate what it calls state-of-the-art health care in cancer and cardiology.
00:54 As such, it has enlisted the services of two specialists out of the United States.
01:00 They are Trinidadian bone cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Daniel Beckles, who is also the founder of Advance Health Lung and Surgical Limited.
01:08 Getting things set up, the infrastructure, the process, I think that's going to be the first step.
01:14 And hematologist/oncologist Dr. Maurice Willis, chief of hematology and oncology at St. Louis University, which has been conducting clinical cancer-related trials.
01:26 He specializes in treating head, lung, and neck cancers in adults.
01:30 State-of-the-art chemotherapy and expertise that we have.
01:35 Dan and I worked together and gave great expertise to people in Texas.
01:39 And I'm here at the behest of him because he's from Trinidad, I'm from America, and I want to bring quality to our people.
01:48 Dr. Willis is working with the hospital in an advisory capacity, which would factor in training.
01:54 In the near future, when we start the cancer program, the intention is that Dr. Willis will be in charge of the cancer program.
02:02 He will help us set the policies and procedures and protocols.
02:06 Both doctors are doing this while maintaining their practice in the U.S.
02:11 I'm always going to be available. We are leveraging technology to work up the patients.
02:16 The preoperative workup of these patients are going to be extensive, and we have local talent and resources.
02:23 Dr. Beckles also performs heart transplants.
02:27 He knows that kidney transplants are successfully done locally.
02:31 But he hopes that the donor culture would improve to expand the areas where transplants can be done.
02:38 Up to eight organs can be donated from every single person that have a mishap.
02:43 With public health care being free and community hospital being a paid entity,
02:48 Dr. Carroll tells us the public-private partnership, or what is referred to as outsourcing, can facilitate reduced costs.
02:57 He sees the need for it as he references a nurse who said at a recent town hall meeting that she was the head of a unit but couldn't get an ECG done on herself.
03:07 In 2024, Trinbago Progressive Association, Inc., out of the United States, of which Dr. Beckles is a part,
03:15 would be doing a medical mission one week in Trinidad and one week in Tobago, where free health care would be provided to people.
03:23 The community hospital has signaled an intention to host them.
03:27 Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
03:30 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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