Dumont Hospital goes higher-tech
Published Thursday August 21st, 2008
N.B. announces almost $1M in funding for new machines
Anyone who has ever purchased a computer knows just how fast new technology makes the old obsolete.
The same is true in the world of medicine.
"Medicine is something that is always evolving, so we always need new infrastructure, new technology, we always need to be renovating, always need to be purchasing," says Joey Caissie, acting CEO of the Beauséjour Regional Health Authority. "It is a big financial challenge for the Department (of Health), but it is part of the nature of the beast and the government must find the balance in this."
The Dr. Georges-L. Dumont Regional Hospital found itself the happy recipient of funding to keep it heading in the right direction yesterday when Health Minister Mike Murphy announced the province is investing $923,000 toward the purchase of a digital fluoroscopy machine and two new anesthesia units for the hospital.
The fluoroscopy unit has already been purchased and has been in operation for about six months, while the anesthesia units have been ordered, but have not yet arrived.
The province is contributing a further $659,000 to purchase smaller pieces of equipment costing between $5,000 and $100,000.
The total $1.6-million investment is part of the department's 2008-2009 $13.22-million medical equipment and technology budget.
The fluoroscopy machine is used for things like scans of the upper gastrointestinal system or barium enemas. The new digital version produces much better image quality than previous incarnations, which relied on film, and uses less radiation than older machines.
The anesthesia units, which have been ordered, but have not yet arrived, will replace two units which have reached the end of their functional life span. The new units allow anesthesiologists to better track a patient's vital systems and gives them better control over the anesthesia, making it safer for the patient.
One piece of equipment the hospital will not see this year is the PET/CT scanner promised by the Lord government in June 2005.
The Dumont and the Saint John Regional Hospital were each to receive one of the scanners with their respective hospital foundations paying the approximate $3 million cost of the machine itself and the government picking up the tab to renovate the hospitals to accommodate the machines and the costs to operate them.
The Saint John hospital received its scanner, but the Dumont hasn't yet.
Caissie says the hospital foundation has the money to purchase the scanner, but has not yet done so because there is no space to install it.
"There is no use buying a machine and sitting it in the basement. You need to know where you are going to put it," Caissie says. "And you can't just stick it in a room, it has to have an entourage, it has to have areas where patients are isolated, you need a reception, it needs a little bit of tender care."
Murphy says he asked the health authority last year if it wanted him to put money in the budget for construction surrounding the PET scan.
"At the time I was told by the board that they wanted to hold off on that and have me look at their master plan, which they have given me and we are studying it," he says. "We are devoting $4 million toward architectural plans, there are engineering needs being studied at the present time, so the PET scan aspect is going to come out during that."
Caissie says the health authority has already identified all of its space needs and likely locations for an expansion -- the former Vanier School will likely be torn down to make way for new construction -- and says at the moment they are negotiating with the government on how many phases will be needed to carry out the work.
Caissie says they're hoping space for a PET scan would be included in the first phase, but that the first phase wouldn't only be about the PET.
"I'd really like to see this happening in the next few years," he says. "We would like to have it tomorrow, but those are pretty sophisticated buildings that need to be built and then you have to order the machine and calibrate it. It needs six months just in calibration, it's a big beast to move."
Murphy says the PET scan unit is certainly still needed in the province.
"The PET scan in Saint John, even though we've doubled the scans to 600, we are studying whether we can increase that because of the demand of such a fabulous machine," he says. "It will be needed."
Murphy took some time during the funding announcement to reassure hospital staff about the upcoming changes to the health authority system, which is being reduced from eight health authorities to two on Sept. 1.
Dr. Odette Albert, vice-president of medical services for the Beauséjour Regional Health Authority, opened Wednesday's news conference by saying it was likely the last the Beauséjour authority would hold.
Murphy assured those at the news conference that plans for expansion at the Dumont will continue, adding that the new structure will help to create better equity between health authorities so all New Brunswickers have equal access to health care.
He also says any money announced for particular health authorities now will remain in the region it was designated for and not be moved to other parts of the province when the new, larger health authorities take over.
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