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Historic Moment At Holberton Hospital

The Daily Observer, February 25, 2002
St. Johns, Antigua
by BJ Reed

History was quietly made at 1:24 pm on Sunday afternoon, just outside the operating room at Holberton Hospital.  

For the first time in the English-speaking Caribbean, medical information was transmitted in real time, via satellite, to a hospital in New York City.

A satellite linkup was established between the Holberton Hospital and Beth Israel Hospital.  Dr. Joseph "Joey" John performed a sonogram on a young patient's heart while a technician at the Podell Auditorium in New York received the information and read back the data conveyed on his monitor.

The communications test, performed on volunteer patient Alex Phillip, was successful in confirming the link between the two hospitals.

The trial run was in preparation of more extensive consultations between Antigua and medical consultants at Beth Israel Hospital that will be taking place throughout this week.

Dr. John said this was the realization of a concept that dates back to 1993-1994, when planning for the new Mt. St. John's Medical Centre was in the initial stages.

He explained that the new hospital "has enormous tele-medical" potential and with the establishment of this revolutionary communications link, Antigua will now be at the forefront of laparoscopic surgery and medical consultation.

He pointed out that the use of telecommunications for medicine is tailor-made for a country like Antigua.

"In a country like this where there are good doctors but they are not in great numbers, consultations between doctors are very difficult.  This state-of-the-art system allows real time contact and consultations with doctors..." anywhere in the world.

His barely containable glee was more apparent as he listed the peripheral potential of this new technology.

Aside from the benefits gained in radiology, pathology, and so many other areas, the surgeon stressed that the nursing staff will now have access to educational facilities that might not have been readily available to them before.

Bernadine Lewis, Sister in charge of the operating room, said the whole thing was very exciting.  She said that while in the past, nurses would have to leave their families and travel to places like Jamaica to earn their degrees, they can now take advantage of distance learning that will be at their fingertips.

For the past year, Dr. John has been working with the world's foremost authority on tele-surgery, Dr. James Rosser.

Dr. Rosser, one of the few cyber surgeons in the world, was the head of laparoscopic surgery at Yale University since 1994.  He is presently moving to the world-renowned Beth Israel Hospital to head that department there.

He will be in Antigua on Wednesday to begin training staff members and to consult with Dr. John.

This morning, more history will be made as information gleaned from scanning Antiguan athletes for heart defects and on two expectant mothers is shared via satellite.

In yet another first, Dr. John will perform a cholecystectomy while wearing an Iron Hand.  The Iron Hand is a tool to help designers study what the surgeon is actually experiencing during surgery.  The results are studied and used to help design more ergonomic and efficient instruments.

There are lectures and information gathering events scheduled this week.