Over the past few weeks we've reported on doctors at the KHMH taking measures to ensure that they provide the best healthcare possible to patients at a time when the hospital is going through some austere times. And while the doctors have settled down with promises that everyday supplies will be available to them soon, the hospital still operates on very limited resources. But that was bolstered yesterday with a donation of orthopedic equipment of almost a hundred thousand U.S. dollars. Orthopedic surgeon at the KHMH Dr. Francis smith says at a time of need the KHMH is thankful for the donation.
Dr. Francis Smith – Orthopedic Surgeon KHMH
"The history here is such that government has never really bought significant orthopedic instruments and implants. We've always had to rely on orthopedic surgeons or friends who live in the developed countries to send us. So we are getting pretty recent instruments and they are very similar to what they would use in the developed country. So it should greatly enhance orthopedic management here."
"It's a long stainless steel rod that is inserted inside the bone in the medullary canal what you would know as the marrow. So it goes longitudinally within the bone and there are screws that go across and lock it. That's why we call it an interlocking nail. Basically what this does it fixes the fracture rigidly and it doesn't allow for much interference with the fracture site which is what most often leads to infection. And the interlocking screws stops the fracture fragments from rotating or becoming mal aligned or out of place."
"So this is a really important donation."
The value of the donation is some 100 thousand U.S. dollars and comes from reverend Tim Tam from the Word at Work mission based in Amarillo Texas.