Residents of Montserrat now have one less medical reason to leave Montserrat. In fact, according to the Government Information Unit (GIU), Residents of Montserrat and surrounding islands will benefit from the opening of Caribscan, a diagnostic imaging company, which will reduce the number of people that must travel abroad to receive medical scans.
Caribscan is expected to provide a varied of medical scans, to include abdominal, kidney, and urinary bladder, thyroid, breast, uterus and ovary examinations. This new medical service provider expects to add mammography to its list of services in the future.
Owner of Caribscan, Ms. Sonia Charles, says, “My greatest desire is to provide quality and foremost basic primary level care to residents. Being able to have an ultrasound when a problem first surfaces, can reduce the anxiety level of patients and assist doctors in diagnosing illness. I have found that many people neglect their health because they don’t want to travel off island because of high costs and the waiting involved in knowing what is going on in their body.”
The Clinical Specialist Sonographer, also a national of Montserrat, went on to explain that “Most people assume that all I do is do ultrasounds for women who are pregnant, but sonography is much more than that. One of the important programs as we start is to screen men between the ages of 65-75 years for abdominal aortic aneurysms.”
The Government of Montserrat reports the Ms. Charles encourages men in this age bracket to register at the local clinics so that she can provide them with information about the problem. Earlier this year, she conducted a workshop for doctors and nurses to become more aware of abdominal aortic aneurysms and how sonography can help with diagnosing patients that are at risk.
Montserrat Aspirers Incorporated is a Boston-based organization that was started in 1974, by a group of young Montserrat professionals, and owns a community centre in Boston celebrates achieving 35 years of operation. This organization’s portfolio includes maintaining and strengthening links with its homeland, Montserrat. As reported by the Government Information Unit (GIU), Since its inception, the organization has awarded over 40 scholarship valued at US$55,000 to graduating seniors entering university. In his congratulatory letter, newly elected Chief Minister, Hon. Reuben T. Meade said, “I am confident that your efforts will enhance the quality of life of the scholarship recipients, their families, the communities they will serve and Montserrat, indirectly.”
