Cape Breton doctors say new equipment a key to attracting specialists
Regional Hospital Foundation to raise $1.4M for hospital wish list
It doesn't seem like much money these days, $1.4 million, but doctors in Cape Breton say the equipment it will buy could make all the difference in attracting and retaining new specialists.
The Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation has a wish list from doctors in cardiology and anesthesia and has set a itself a deadline of one year to raise the money.
The hospital's head of cardiology, Dr. Paul MacDonald, says less than $200,000 of the total will be spent in his department but it will make a huge difference in the care patients receive.
"Having monitors that are up to date and effective and able to monitor these patients is crucial, and our hospital and our monitors are about 20 years old, and do really need to be updated and replaced," MacDonald said.
Doctors want good equipment
"We're also in contact with Halifax to share information for a number of patients we share care with, but patients would certainly prefer to be followed up in Sydney, instead of making a 400-kilometre [trip] and a day or two in travel for a brief 10- or 15-minute visit."
New equipment really helps attract new doctors, MacDonald says.
"It's the entire environment. Cape Breton already has a great environment; it's a beautiful place to live," he said. "We have great schools, and lots of culture.
"But physicians want to know that they have the equipment to do the jobs that they're trained to do and we're trying to set up a proper infrastructure so that they'll be able to realize that potential when they come here to work."
More than $1M for OR
Most of the money the foundation hopes to raise will be spent on equipment for the hospital's operating rooms, which perform 11,000 surgeries a year.
Head of anesthesiology, Dr. Victor Espinal, says doctors are able to work with what they have and are pleased to do so.
"However, we cannot see the world to evolve around us and us being behind," he said. "So, it is good to know that now we have that technology, that we can use it and our patients can get the benefit from it."
Espinal says the age of much of the current OR equipment means it's hard to get parts to fix it if it breaks down.
New equipment will draw talent
The fundraising will pay for monitoring machines, anesthesia machines, pain pumps, an ultrasound machine and a specialty OR table.
"We need to have new equipment to entice new talent into the area," said otolaryngologist Dr. Philip Curry.
"It's really an essential part of running an institution like this to have the best equipment available."
Aflie MacLeod, the Progressive Conservative MLA for Sydney River-Mira-Louisbourg says it should be the government's responsibility to provide money for equipment upgrades.
The normally reserved MacLeod was thrown out of the legislature last month for calling the health minister a liar when talking about how many new doctors have been recruited for Cape Breton.
"To see the community have to step up to replace equipment, for doctors able to come and do the job they want to do, is shocking," he said.
With files from Gary Mansfield