Medical Association addresses the burden
and costs of common diseases

New Products, Services and Technology Revealed

____________________________________________________________________

The science of medicine was the first to discover that “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”  Progress in medicine in the past few decades has saved the lives of millions.  Equally, failures in timely prevention over the past decade have allowed chronic diseases to increase, threatening the health of several million people. Diseases such as Diabetes, Hypertension, Chronic Respiratory disease, Heart disease and Cancer are now commonplace in our society.  In medicine, prevention has a critical role to play.

The Annual Scientific Conference of the Medical Association, which serves as an educational forum to update its members and the general public concerning recent developments in medicine and its allied professions was held recently at the British Colonial Hilton.  The focus of the conference, the burden and costs of common diseases in the Bahamas, and being forever mindful of the value and the need for prevention, lead the planning committee to choose “An Ounce of Prevention….A Pound of Cure” as its conference theme.

Private and public healthcare organizations, Physicians of every specialty, pharmaceutical representatives, medical suppliers, Emergency Medical personnel, Nurses and Nurses Aides all gathered at the Hilton to hear the latest developments in the medical field from various visiting physicians.  Cancer, Hypertension, Bariatric Surgery, Occupational Medicine, Sleep Apnea, Renal Failure, Radiation, Burns, Bites and Infertility were all important topics of discussion during the daily sessions; during the intervals, organizations utilized the time to have one on one consultations with conference participants, in an effort to present their products designed to make life and office operation much easier.

One of the most fascinating displays could be seen at the booth occupied by Doctors Hospital.  Whilst the pharmaceutical companies and medical suppliers used the time to promote new medicines, treatments and products, conference booth holder, Doctors Hospital utilized the opportunity to familiarize their attending physicians with their fascinating, new technologically advanced patient care equipment; the filmless picture archiving communication system or PACS. 

“PACS enables images such as x-rays and scans to be stored electronically and viewed on screens, so that our doctors and other healthcare professionals can access the information, from just about anywhere that has internet access.  They are then able to compare them with previous images at the touch of a button, a reality that has Associates of the hospital extremely excited.  By delivering more efficient imaging processes, the PACS system will contribute to the delivery of seamless integrated service within the hospital”, explained Doctors Hospital Nursing Project Coordinator, Cherry Martin. “The new system will be fully integrated into the facility and used with all imaging modalities including standard x-rays, CT, MRI, Ultrasound, Angiography,

As we watched the physicians work the new PACS system, we were able to see first hand, its marvels and its ability to provide and even more timely and accurate diagnosis for patients.  The addition of the PACS system adds strength to the hospital’s mission statement which is to meet and exceed the healthcare needs  and expectations of its customers and to provide an enriching and rewarding environment for Associates and physicians; this new initiative by Doctors Hospital falls effortlessly in line with the Medical Association’s aim and objectives which is to encourage and support a high standard of medical practice, ethics and conduct, while improving the professional competence of its members.

Informative, and on occasion, entertaining, the Medical Association should be congratulated for the number of experts assembled to speak as well as the high standard of products and equipment displayed.

#end#