Basseterre, St. Kitts, July 31, 2023 (SKNIS): Dialysis is a life-saving medical procedure that helps people with kidney failure to remove excess waste and fluids from their blood. Against this backdrop, staff members at the Hemodialysis Unit at the Joseph N. France (JNF) General Hospital are currently engaged in a series of training on the proper use of dialysis equipment.
The training sessions are being carried out by a team from Canada, led by a son of the soil Charles Estridge, who currently resides in Canada. In early 2023, St. Joseph’s Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, along with Charles Estridge in collaboration with Gareth Payne donated fifteen (15) dialysis machines to the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis.
During a brief ceremony held at the JNF General Hospital on Monday, July 31, 2023, Prime Minister and Minister of Health, the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew, expressed his gratitude and that of the Government and people of St. Kitts and Nevis to Mr. Charles and his team for the invaluable service offered to the Federation.
“I want to thank Mr. Estridge who recognized the need and reached out. What you have offered here would save many lives and we can’t thank you enough,” said Prime Minister Dr. Drew. “I know that your people are very appreciative of the collaboration between you and the hospital… and your team that you have brought. They have sacrificed their time to be here and donate their time to us. We can’t say thank you enough.”
Mr. Estridge has worked in the sector for over 30 years. He noted that the decision to invest in people’s health came after two persons dear to him passed away from kidney disease.
“It was very fitting for me to do something like this. I feel very honoured to have been given the opportunity to give back to my country, St. Kitts and Nevis. I am very honoured and privileged to be able to do that.”
Mr. Charles especially thanked his team of experts for journeying to St. Kitts and Nevis with him to train staff and install the machines. He noted that all this is being done from the kindness of their hearts as they are not requesting any form of payment from the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis.
In recent months, the government also obtained other important medical equipment for use at the JNF General Hospital for the benefit of the people. These include a state-of-the-art Leica M690 Surgical Operating Microscope System, an MRI machine, an EEG machine, and an automated urinalysis machine at the JNF laboratory all with the aim of positively transforming the healthcare sector in St. Kitts and Nevis.
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