fp Turks and Caicos

A surgeon from the Bahamas recently performed the first neurological surgeries ever in the Turks and Caicos Islands at the new Cheshire Hall Medical Centre on Providenciales.

Dr. Magnus Ekedede, director of the Neurosurgical Institute of The Bahamas, performed the operations with the assistance of Provo-based orthopedic surgeon Dr. Joe Lemoine and his team.

“Two local residents sustained injuries in separate incidents that required immediate stabilising surgery from our local surgical staff,” Lemoine said. “Each of the patients had additional injuries requiring specialised neurosurgical care — one with a spine injury and one with a head injury.

“In order to provide care without requiring transfer out of the country, a unique initiative was undertaken with the help of (the National Health Insurance Program) to bring Dr. Magnus Ekedede to Provo to assist with the of these patients. He was able to perform surgery on both patients and was duly impressed by our modern facilities and experienced staff.”

Previously, both patients would been flown out of the country for treatment at the cost of thousands of dollars.

“I am delighted to report that both operations were very successful,” Lemoine said. “In fact, the case with the head injury, while Dr. Ekedede was carrying out his surgery, I was simultaneously able to perform a reconstructive procedure on the man’s hand, that was partially amputated in the same injury.”

Ekedede, who is also a consultant and chairman of neurosurgery at Princess Margaret Hospital and Doctors Hospital in Nassau, described Interhealth Canada’s facilities in Provo and Grand Turk as “state of the art.”

“The operating theatres and general facilities really are state of the art, and I congratulate the TCI government and Interhealth Canada on what they have achieved. Also I was really impressed by all the staff I met, from doctors through to reception and security staff. Everyone was really helpful and friendly and the hospital boasts a talented and highly experienced medical team,” Ekedede said.

“Now that we have performed this ground-breaking surgery, it is possible for similar surgeries to take place in the future. This, of course, is of great benefit to islanders, as are the two fantastic new hospitals in general.”

Interhealth Canada’s TCI Chief Executive Roger Cheesman thanked Ekedede and paid tribute to his own staff.

“Dr Ekedede is a real expert in his field and we are really fortunate in the TCI to be able to call on his services,” Cheesman said. “He and our medical team in Provo really have broken new ground and I congratulate them all on their wonderful achievements.

“I also thank Brian Hogan, CEO of NHIP, and their acting medical advisor, Dr. Sam Slattery, for their work in making this possible.”

Aside from being the first man to carry out neurological surgery in TCI, Ekedede has a number of other Caribbean firsts to his credit. These include the first ever lobectomy, first multiple brain aneurysm and first to implant bone flap from craniotomy within the abdomen to preserve it for later re-implantation.

He also invented the use of the Foley catheter as unishunt in babies with hydrocephalus in Third World countries.