The Spanish Town Hospital, last week, received a $20-million haemodialysis centre, equipped with seven state-of-the-art dialysis machines, from Ernest Hoo. 

Ernest Hoo receiving his Governor-General Achievement Award

The centre is named the Katie Hoo Haemodialysis Centre in memory of Hoo's mother who passed away at the hospital in 1965.

However, the hospital is unable to use the machines just yet because of the quality of water in St. Catherine.

David Dobson, CEO at the hospital, told guests attending the handing-over ceremony that during installation of the dialysis equipment it was discovered that the water was not soft enough for use in the machines. Another machine, a water softener, was therefore needed before the units could function.

Hoo has subsequently ordered the $250,000 water softener from the United States and said it would be delivered this week.

Meanwhile, senior medical officer Dr. Paul Brown explained the challenges facing dialysis centres across the island.  He said there are 10 dialysis centers in Jamaica with between 50 and 60 machines in total which are inadequate to treat the 900 new cases of end-stage renal failure which are being seen annually. Currently, fewer than 400 persons are being treated each year.

"Simply put, there are not enough dialysis machines available island-wide to satisfy this great demand," Brown said.