Labasa Hospital receives $10k medical equipment boost

Labasa Hospital’s paediatric department has received a $10,000 boost in medical equipment from the Vodafone Festival of the Friendly North committee.

The committee donated one cardiac monitor and four vital monitors to the hospital yesterday as the first phase of its community project, following the conclusion of its weeklong festival last Saturday.

Paediatrics senior medical officer Dr Ingrid Nilsen thanked the committee during the handover ceremony at the hospital.

She said the department had requested the equipment earlier this year and was delighted to receive the machines within the same year.

“These machines are portable and can be used by medical professionals looking after children in various wards,” Dr Nilsen said.

“We were in great need of these machines to be in a better position to assist children while taking their vitals and during emergencies, as we had only one which was placed on a trolley and we had to push it around.”

She said the existing machine presented several challenges, including the risk of damage, limited access during emergencies involving two or three patients at the same time and the possibility of it going missing.

Festival committee president Mohammed Saiyum said the committee had always been proactive in carrying out community projects in the North.

“Our first project was done during the launch of the festival last month, which was the handing over of cheques to Northern Charity Alliance, Lions Club of Labasa and Rotary Club of Labasa to assist them with their community projects,” Mr Saiyum said.

He said phase two of the hospital project would include a stress machine (treadmill) for the cardiac unit, cardiac monitors for the NICU and an intraosseous driver for the paediatrics department.

Mr Saiyum said the committee also planned to assist the Labasa Town Council with its projects.