Spanish Town Hospital boosts prostate cancer care
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Spanish Town Hospital’s urology service has been strengthened with a donation of specialised equipment aimed at improving the detection and treatment of prostate cancer, as well as post-diagnosis and surgical care across St Catherine and neighbouring parishes.
The upgrade, timed to mark the fifth anniversary of the hospital’s urology clinic, includes a prostate biopsy machine, a prostate biopsy gun and an ultrasound machine. The latter was donated by consultant urologist Dr Elon Thompson, who has overseen the department since its establishment in May 2021.
Addressing a ceremony at the hospital on Tuesday, Thompson said the equipment would sharpen both diagnosis and treatment.
"I just want to donate this machine for service, so that it can help the patients for phosphate biopsies. This is one of the key missing components for us, especially with the prevalence of prostate cancer; this will go a far way in helping us to treat patients with earlier diagnosis," he said while handing over the equipment.
He added: "Certainly, from a diagnostic standpoint, this machine represents a significant step for us and I am happy that I am able to donate it; and I hope God will continue to bless us, so that we can continue fighting for patients."
The equipment fills a critical gap in the hospital’s diagnostic capacity. Thompson explained that the ultrasound system will be used alongside the biopsy gun to take tissue samples.
“So, similar to how we examine the prostate through the rectum, the biopsy is done, the ultrasound is done trans-rectally. So we do an ultrasound of the prostate, through the back passage. And then we would then use a needle, and that's what the biopsy gun is now used for, with the needle, to take the samples. So the donation of the biopsy gun is very timely,” he explained.
“So the finger [examination] is for screening. This (the gun) is going to be what is diagnosed in prostate cancer, so it's the real thing. So this is to take the sample, and the sample goes to the pathology lab,” he said.
SUPPORT
The expansion has been underpinned by support from the National Health Fund (NHF), which contributed $28 million towards securing the equipment. Thompson also acknowledged corporate donors, including IRAD Medical Supplies, which provided the biopsy gun.
Jacqueline Ellis, the hospital’s chief executive officer, accepted the donation and praised both the NHF and Thompson’s commitment.
She noted that the urology clinic is among the hospital’s busiest specialist services, seeing more than 130 patients on a typical Thursday, while drawing relatively few complaints. Nurses, she added, routinely work long hours while maintaining high levels of care.
Senior Medical Officer Dr Jacqueline Wright James also commended the team and highlighted the role of investment in equipment.
"Equipment turn intentions into the outcomes and as the saying goes, ‘It takes six hours to chop down the tree and it take that first hour to sharpen the axe’; so investing in equipment sharpens the axe for our patients here at the Spanish Town Hospital," she said.
Since its inception five years ago, the department has expanded access to specialised urological care within the public health system. Hospital officials say the unit has performed nearly 1,500 surgical procedures and treated thousands of outpatients.
Thompson pointed to several milestones, including the hospital’s first radical cystectomy in 2022 — a complex procedure involving the removal of the urinary bladder for cancer treatment. In September 2023, the team carried out its first laparoscopic nephrectomy, advancing minimally invasive surgery. The service has also conducted more than 150 prostate cancer-related operations.
Prostate cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer among men in Jamaica, according to Thompson. Improved access to advanced procedures, including radical prostatectomy, has broadened treatment options and improved outcomes.
The newly acquired equipment is expected to further enhance early detection, a decisive factor in survival rates.
“This milestone belongs to an entire team of committed healthcare professionals who have worked tirelessly to improve access to specialised urological care for the people of St Catherine and beyond. I am deeply grateful to my colleagues, nurses, operating theatre staff, administrators, and all our partners who have supported the growth of this service over the past five years," he said.
Erica Virtue contributed to this story.