BusinessGrenada.com BusinessGrenada2019-2020 Issue 8 | Page 106

In Pursuit of Excellence Dr Amechi continues “I think its unfair to expect Government to provide everything we need in this department. To provide first world health care should be the agenda of the private sector. Let the private industry do the heavy lifting. Government should not be expected to provide this. So this is where we need private investment that goes towards us reaching our goals as a first class facility. With an initial investment in the region of $6million Dr Joe (as he is colloquially known) now states that he wouldn’t walk away from the place for anything less than $15m usd today. Amechi states “Even though we are dealing with health we are still a business and my ideas about this are to start it/build it/grow it and sell it. house. At the moment we can do all the routine blood work for any serious emergency and to manage our inpatients. Specialized services like tests for Lupus for instance, or some other illness would still have to go to Trinidad for testing but we have that covered. Pathology on the other hand which is currently done at the General Hospital, and is all about testing tissues for Cancer for instance they could use some help. But once again to do this privately “ Other areas we would look to invest in would include a mobile x-ray and ultrasound machines so we can go to the patients and not have to hump them around to different departments. “Right now we need investment in terms of our facility, expertise and equipment. We have the land to increase the size of the facility so in terms of infrastructure we can easily add another 12 rooms to our existing 6 rooms and 12 bed facility. Our lab at the moment could do with an increase in space and we could certainly benefit from the addition of a pathology unit in costs a lot of money so that’s an area we would be keen on for additional investment. Other areas we would look to invest in would include a mobile x-ray and ultrasound machines so we can go to the patients and not have to hump them around to different departments. SUCCESSES Despite all the challenges SAMS face they continuously try to stay on top of the technological aspects of advances in equipment. SAMS were the first to bring a digital x-ray machine to Grenada, They currently have the only 64 slice CT scanner in the entire Eastern Caribbean whereas the industry standard is still at 16 slice scanners. “We have a multi place Hyperbaric Chamber which is not only useful for decompressing divers but is also becoming very popular for other treatments such as carbon monoxide poisoning, wound care, burns, Stroke rehabilitation. It’s a great help to our diving industry knowing that as a top Dive destination in the world, we also have our own Hyperbaric Chamber on island, hence eliminating the need to be flown out to Barbados or Trinidad in the event of a diving accident. Dr Joe also states that he has seen some very impressive turnarounds using the Hyperbaric Chamber for the treatment of Strokes. He states, “There are 2 types of stroke, There is the burst blood vessel and then there’s the blocked blood vessel. The person with the blocked blood vessel is the one that the Hyperbaric Chamber can work miracles for. The chamber helps get oxygen into the bloodstream and combine with anti coagulants can really help to dissolve blockages. We are not in a position to perform brain surgery on island to insert a brain stent for example, but we have seen some marvelous results using the Hyperbaric Chamber as it gets oxygen to the brain without needing a blood supply. “In fact, if you can get to us to within up to 8 hrs of having this kind of stroke then we can really make a very positive difference. The crucial difference however between our Hyperbaric 106 www.businessgrenada.com Chamber and others in the Caribbean, is that we are the only chamber that is located at a hospital. All the other chambers are stand alone units located in various random places so having it at a hospital obviously has huge advantages, if someone is sick and they have “ The crucial difference however between our Hyperbaric chamber and others in the Caribbean is that we are the only chamber that is located at a hospital. “ Over the years we have built a strong international reputation. We work with many major international Insurance companies who choose us as the preferred service provider for their clients. Most of the major Cruise ship lines, The British Government, The US Peace Corps, The US Military. When President Obama came to Trinidad we were the preferred hospital who handled all their medical issues for ground staff and the entourage associated with a visiting President from the USofA. Our reputation now is world class so with that comes a premium price. Its not about Dr Amecci; our reputation is SAMS and we continue to add prestigous clients and blue chip companies to our growing list of customers. INVESTMENT “ that growth we need a good health system here. In Pursuit of Excellence to go back and forth from chamber to bed and not have to deal with ambulances or other means of transporting patients too and fro. Other onsite facilities at St Augustine’s Medical Services include: An Operating Theatre that performs regular eye surgeries and many other major surgeries including Laproscopic or key hole surgeries, so the facility is well equipped to handle many different types of surgery on site. Coupled with a modern equipped Ambulance service, on site Pharmacy, Out Patient clinic, access to ALL the specialist Doctors on island, and a thriving maternity unit that has currently delivered somewhere in the region of 800 babies so far, SAMS has certainly contributed to the good health and wellness to all who have visited. www.businessgrenada.com DR. LUTZ’ GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT “I think my Greatest achievement has definitely been how as a company we have changed the face of health care in Grenada. We’ve reset the bar, raised standards and as a result, raised expectations of what good healthcare should look like. “We came first, then the General Hospital expanded after seeing what we did. People come here now and realize …Yes they have to pay, but they are seen to in a timely manner and do not have to wait all day to be seen by some poor overworked doctor who may have a number of issues and emergencies that he’s dealing with, and is forced to work within the confines of an underfunded institution. This is what people have now come to expect. THE FUTURE “I’m all in favor of the proposed National Health Scheme being introduced to the nation as good health needs to be financed by the people using it. This has obviously become a necessity due to the fact that Government cannot afford to pay for a state of the art health system based on the current tax structures. So alternative solutions need to be found for the nations health. “We at SAMS are poised & ready to work with Government in whatever way we can, now and in the future, to make a National Health Scheme in Grenada, Carriacou and Petit Martinique a reality for all. BG 107