300 cataract surgeries at Couva Medical and Multi Training Facility—NCRHA

The North Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA) says it has successfully performed some 300 cataract surgeries at the Couva Hospital and Multi Training Facility over a three-month period.

The Authority reports that the 300 cataract surgeries were conducted at the Couva Medical and Multi Training Facility, utilizing an enhanced surgical schedule and the collaborative efforts of skilled medical professionals and administrative staff, led by Dr Shehenaz Mohammed, lead and sole surgeon on the team.

“Thus far, the Couva Medical and Multi Training Facility cataract surgery initiative has recorded a remarkable 100% success rate—with a 0% complication rate—marked with significant improvement in every single patient,” the NCRHA revealed in a news release.

“This undertaking, which has only taken place on weekends, through a scheduled system, was implemented with the aim to decrease the number of patients requiring cataract surgeries within the public healthcare system—essentially reducing waiting times for procedures and enabling patients to receive timely and efficient treatment, in order to regain their vision and have them return to their regular day-to-day lives, as quickly as possible,” the release said.

A member of the surgical team applies eye drops to a patient, in preparation for surgery. [Image courtesy NCRHA]

According to the NCRHA, the push to cut short patient waiting times is part of the Ministry of Health’s broader efforts to improve access to critical healthcare services, particularly with increasing demands among the Trinidad and Tobago population.

“Research indicates that cataract-related vision loss is one of the leading causes of blindness in Trinidad and Tobago,” the Authority explains.

“The NCRHA’s initiative is part of an ongoing effort to ensure greater accessibility and availability for citizens, as it relates to essential surgeries they need for improved quality of life.”

NCRHA CEO, Davlin Thomas, has commended the efforts of staff involved on the project.

“The completion of 300 cataract surgeries in such a short period demonstrates the commitment and dedication of our healthcare teams to improving the lives of those in our care,” he stated. “This is a special initiative, and I wish to extend thanks to Dr Shehenaz Mohammed who has spearheaded this project—seeing, on average, 100 persons per month … working over the weekends. Kudos to her and the team.”

“We are proud of the progress we’ve made in delivering quality service and we are confident that this initiative will continue to provide better access to vision-saving surgery for more patients in Trinidad and Tobago,” he said. “Thank you to our NCRHA staff for their labour of love and sacrifice in service.”

Thomas stated that in order to ensure efficiency and better service delivery, the NCRHA had implemented strategic measures such as extended operating hours, surgery on Sundays, dedicated surgical teams, and streamlined patient management processes. This particular project follows on from the NCRHA’s Surgery Sundays initiative, which commenced in 2017, originally at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex.

Two members of the surgical team suit up, in preparation for surgery. [Image courtesy NCRHA]

“We are determined to continuously strengthen and expand our capacity to consistently deliver specialized care to the people of Trinidad and Tobago.” Thomas added.

Medical Chief of Staff, Dr Ravi Lalla, noted the initiative was a tremendous success, and not only in alleviating the pressure on waiting lists.

“By focusing on cataract surgeries solely,” he said, “the NCRHA has been able to prioritize those patients who have been waiting the longest, while maintaining high standards of care.”

He added: “We will continue to monitor the progress of the initiative and look for additional ways to optimize our services for the benefit of all our patients.”

The NCRHA says it intends to build on the success of this surgeries’ initiative to ensure improvements within the public healthcare system. 

It says plans are in place for further expansion of services in the coming months, to address other key patient care areas.

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