China provides a new Microsurgery Training Center to San Fernando Teaching Hospital to support its medical teams (Linked to Record ID#39709)

Project narrative

Complaints from China's first Neurosurgery Team (See #39709) prompted a donation of a new Microsurgery Center at San Fernando Teaching Hospital in Trinidad and Tobago. The official opening ceremony took place at the hospital on July 9th, 2015 and was attended by several Chinese officials including the Deputy Ambassador of China Heping Lan and Ministry of Health officials including Dr Colin Furlonge, chief medical officer. San Fernando General Hospital has suffered from a lack of neurosurgeons for several years before the Chinese doctors came and there was a backlog of surgeries needing to take place.Dr Lackram Bodoe, chairman of the South West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA), lamented that local doctors were not taking advantage of the new facilities, and challenged local physicians to begin training in microsurgery and neurosurgery. The equipment arrived during the second team's stint in Trinidad, just before their return to China. The total value worth 1million Trinidad and Tobago dollars according to local news.