Breast cancer fight to get boost with purchase of mammography machine

NASSAU, The Bahamas -- Public Healthcare officials in The Bahamas will further advance the fight against breast cancer early in 2010 with the purchase of a new digital mammography machine at a cost of $400,000.

Breast cancer has been identified as the sixth-leading cause of death in Bahamian women.

Minister of Health Dr the Hon Hubert A Minnis said the addition of the mammography machine will allow healthcare officials to “continue our focus on breast cancer treatment.”

“Breast cancer is a threat to our national development as it affects mostly women under the age of 50, with the average age being 42 years of age,” Dr Minnis said.

The Health Minister said studies suggest that the early manifestation of breast cancer in Bahamian women in particular, might be due to “genetic predisposition”.

He said there is hope, however, as – with early detection and screening – public healthcare professionals will be able to intervene much earlier, thus saving lives and assuring better outcomes.

Dr Minnis said the mammography machine will provide for early screenings and is one part of the Government of The Bahamas’ – through the Ministry of Health, the Department of Public Health and the Public Hospitals Authority – plan to upgrade and expand clinical services through the addition to specialized equipment such as the mammography machine and the Digital Ultrasound Machines that were purchased in 2009 at a cost of $270,000.

He said the Government has already committed $6.3 million – as part of that plan – for the construction of new Operating Theatres and a new Central Sterile Supplies Department.

“When these new theatres come on stream, they will significantly reduce the waiting time for patients to receive operative procedures, reduce in-patient length of stay and increase both patient and customer satisfaction,” Dr Minnis said.

The Health Minister said there have been “numerous successes” throughout the public healthcare system in The Bahamas during the course of 2009. 

He said these include the introduction of the new Pharmacy medication System, Centricity, the Drop-Off System for Prescriptions and extended pharmacy hours at the Princess Margaret Hospital.

He said the Ministry of Health and Public Hospitals Authority, with the assistance of the Government, were able to begin work on the $350,000 renovation project for the Accident and Emergency Department.

“The renovations, which will be completed in February of 2010, will improve patient flow and overall customer service,” Dr Minnis added.

Dr Minnis said discussions have also begun for the relocation of laboratory services back to the main hospital campus, for the upgrading of ophthalmology services and for the expansion of dialysis services.

Plans are also underway, Dr Minnis said, for the expansion of technological and human resource infrastructure, which will compliment the ongoing changes.

All of the aforementioned initiatives, he said, are designed to improve the delivery of pharmaceutical services to patients and are a step in fulfilling the Ministry of Health’s mandate of building bridges within the public healthcare system.

“The development and strengthening of the “Healthcare Bridge to the Future” must be under-girded with the proper technological infrastructure and human resources,” Dr Minnis said. 

“To this end, the Public Hospitals Authority is completing an extensive upgrade of the Information technology infrastructure at the Princess Margaret Hospital and providing the appropriate human resources for the management of that technology.

“This support is critical as we expand and upgrade clinical services,” Dr Minnis added.

By: Matt Maura

Bahamas Information Services