ASJ Anniversary

16 1998 was US$33.4 million, or 20 per cent of the health budget. The total cost of injuries to the Jamaican society has been put at US$1billion. This is approximately 7.2 per cent of the Jamaica’s gross domestic prod- uct. Thus, a 50 per cent reduction in the incidence of injuries will save the country seven times the total health budget. This is especially important, given that for the 2010 national Budget, four per cent was projected to be spent on health – a fall from seven per cent in 1998 and 4.7 per cent in 2006. These data show that injuries are a major public health problem and place a heavy burden on the health ser- vices, as well as the Jamaican econ- omy. There has been no significant change in the data over the years. There is therefore a need for a coor- dinated multidisciplinary approach to effect a significant decrease in the incidence of injuries. A significant initiative in the 1990s was the introduction of the advanced Trauma Life sup- port course to Jamaica. This was facilitated by Professor Jameel Ali from the University of Toronto, Canada, who successfully lobbied the American College of Surgeons to introduce the programme in Jamaica at a much-reduced cost. He agreed to train the instruc- tors and still provides support to the programme. The role of Sister Juliet Buchanan from the Accident and Emergency Department, as the nurse coordinator for the programme since its inception, should be noted. An efficient system of trauma care involves intervention at least three levels. Primary prevention focuses on pre-event action and is facilitated by legislation and education. Secondary prevention aims to minimise injuries sustained in the event and include the use of helmets and seat belts, for example. Tertiary prevention focuses on care and rehabilitation of the affected individuals for the optimisation of outcome. As members of the healthcare team, there are some factors beyond our control; for example, getting each occupant of a motor vehicle to use seat belts. Our emphasis is usually placed at the tertiary level, where an improved quality of care will decrease the overall cost to society. Inclusive in this improved quality of care is better pre-hospital care and speedy transfer of the injured to the nearest appropriate facility where timely interventions can be effected, given that the greatest number of deaths occurs in the pre-hospital phase of care. This service is currently of- fered in Jamaica only privately. In addition a multifunctional rehabil- itation centre, though in theory is present in Jamaica, is grossly inad- equate. For these essential services to be more accessible and effective, they need to be deemed a public good. The urgency in changing the current status quo cannot be overstated. This is highlighted in a study using data from the Trauma Registry, which showed a prevent- able death rate of 22 per cent. This higher-than-expected death rate among our trauma patients would suggest that we need to act now. When it comes to trauma, time is truly a life-and-death matter. Professor ArchibaldMcDonald Former Principal University of the West Indies Mona Campus TRAUMA CONTINUED FROM 14 1. DR L. McFarlane 1958 – 1959 2. Dr J. S. R. Golding 1959 – 1960 3. Dr S. P. W Street 1960 - 1961 4. Dr J. Gilmour 1961 – 1962 5. Dr C.V. Harry 1962 – 1963 6. Dr P. Wiles 1963 – 1964 7. Dr I. S. Parboosingh1964 – 1965 8. Dr D. B. Stewart 1965 – 1966 9. Dr H. Annamunthodo 1966 – 1967 10. Dr K. L. Hart 1967 – 1968 11. Dr J. D. McNeil-Smith 1968 – 1969 12. Dr G. W. Milner 1969 – 1970 13. Dr H. U. Shaw 1970 – 1971 14. Dr A. F. Mason 1971 – 1972 15. Dr V. E. Brooks 1972 – 1973 16. Dr R. G. Lampart 1973 – 1974 17. Dr D. O. Gore 1974 – 1975 18. Dr J. L. Williams 1975 – 1976 19. Dr A. H. Cotterell 1976 – 1978 20. Dr R. A. Carpenter 1978 – 1981 21. DrW. W. Wilson 1981 – 1983 22. Dr J. A. McHardy 1983 – 1985 23. Dr L. Douglas 1985 – 1988 24. Dr F. Roper 1988 – 1990 25. Dr P. Fletcher 1990 – 1992 26. Dr B. Lyle-Harper 1992 – 1994 27. Dr H. Spencer 1994 – 1996 28. DrW. Dennis 1996 – 1998 29. Dr P. Wellington 1998 – 2000 30.DrR.D.DuQuesnay2000–2002 31. Dr T. McCartney 2002 – 2004 32. Dr G. Williams 2004 – 2006 33. Dr A. McDonald 2006 – 2008 34. Dr P. Bhoorasingh2008 – 2010 35. Dr L. Francis 2010 – 2011 36. Dr M. McFarlane 2011 – 2012 37. Dr C. Batchelor 2012 – 2014 38. Dr C. Thomas 2014 – 2016 39. Dr M. Newnham 2016 – 2018 40. DrW. Aiken 2018 to Present ASJ Presidents’ list – 1958 to present THE GLEANER | SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2019 ASSOCIATION OF SURGEONS IN JAMAICA 60TH ANNIV SARY FEATURE: T E SUNDAY GLEANER MAGAZINE | MARCH 3, 2019