ENT MEDICAL VOLUNTEERS WILL PROVIDE FREE SERVICES FOR PATIENTS WITH CONDITIONS OF THE EAR, NOSE AND THROAT.

Otolaryngology (ENT) services will be enhanced at the Victoria and St. Jude hospitals as a result of a visit from a Canadian team of physicians.
Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeon, Dr. Mark Samaha, along with a team of volunteers, will lend their services to Saint Lucian physicians via training sessions, and will also perform free surgeries for patients in need.

Dr. Samaha said the initiative will promote the sharing and transfer of knowledge.

“This is beneficial to the patients who will have the opportunity to have these services, and it is also beneficial to the local doctors who can work with us and exchange knowledge, information and experience. We get to learn about the medical system in Saint Lucia, the kinds of patients, the kinds of issues that patients deal with, and through exchanges with the local doctors we obviously learn.”

Minister for Health and Wellness, Sen. Hon. Mary Isaac, expressed gratitude for the service.

“The team of doctors will assist us for free. This is an invaluable service and we appreciate their benevolence,” she said.

Medical Director at the Victoria Hospital, Dr. Alisha Eugene, said the activity will serve as a platform for the surgeons to work side-by-side and acquire valuable knowledge.

“Right now at Victoria Hospital we have one ENT surgeon, Dr. Sixtus Gabriel, and not only will he be working along with them, but he has the opportunity to learn and to exchange his own experiences here in Saint Lucia,” she said, “This initiative will allow the opportunity for some plastic surgery and repair work, by assisting cancer patients with facial tumors, and persons with cleft palates.”

Physicians from the Victoria and St. Jude hospitals also received training from the surgeons.