Over the past 5 years, the Mina Fund has contributed over $80,000 to help Broadwell Christian Hospital located in Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh, to build a life-saving orthopaedic operating theatre, and to purchase critically needed medical and infrastructure equipment.
Broadwell was established in 1909 by Dr. Jemima (Mina) Mackenzie, and initially provided medical care to the poor and needy through a small dispensary and roadside clinics. Currently, the hospital operates as a 40-bed facility, boasting a modernized Out-patient Department (OPD), modular Operation theatres, well-equipped Labor rooms, and a High Dependency Unit (HDU), all complemented by round-the-clock casualty services. Broadwell Christian Hospital offers essential services in Reproductive and Child Health, Surgery, General Medicine, and Community Health and Development.
Recently funded equipment purchases include:
- Ultrasonography equipment, which is non-invasive, involves no radiation, helps diagnose clinical conditions, and improves the quality of treatment and care for patients. The widespread use of emergency ultrasound carries benefits for patients and hospitals for faster, more cost-effective first-line assessment. Its clinical uses range from evaluating fractures, ectopic pregnancy, appendicitis, shock, heart attack, assessing internal bleeding after trauma, and guiding needle procedures. Ultrasound imagery can:
- have many uses during pregnancy. Early on, they may be used to determine due dates, reveal the presence of twins or other multiples, and rule out ectopic pregnancies. They also are valuable screening tools in helping to detect potential problems, including some birth defects, placental issues, breech positioning, and others.
- be an essential tool for narrowing down a diagnosis of abdominal pain. Ultrasound can image kidney stones, gallstones, abdominal aortic aneurysms, appendicitis, or bowel obstruction, among others.
- guide procedures such as needle biopsies, in which needles remove cells from an abnormal area for laboratory testing.
- assist with therapeutic procedures including aspiration and drainage, difficult IV insertions, and emergencies like renal colic, torsion, etc.
- New Reverse Osmosis water purification system with 2000 litre per day capacity CSSD (Central Sterile Supply Department) provides staff and patients with clean drinking water, helping to reduce kidney stones, hair loss and leg pain. Additional benefits include reduced equipment maintenance costs by eliminating scaling (calcium deposits) on boilers, autoclave heating elements, plumbing and laundry equipment.
- Industrial washing machine and hydro extractor to remove bacteria, dirt, fleas, mites and other irritants or infections, reducing diarrhea, respiratory infections, scabies and other skin infections.
- Cardiotacography equipment, usually called a 'CTG' by doctors and midwives, can be used to monitor a baby's heart rate and a mother's contractions during labour. Cardiotocography (CTG) measures a baby's heart rate. At the same time it also monitors the contractions in the womb (uterus). CTG is used both before birth and during labour, to monitor the baby for any signs of distress. By looking at various different aspects of the baby's heart rate, doctors and midwives can see how the baby is coping.
- New centrifuge equipment significantly reduces noise, vibration and the time required to completes lab tests by 87%.
- Infusion pumps are highly helpful, automated devices for delivering precise amounts of drugs as well as fluids required by patients. In addition to reducing the workload of staff, infuson pumps also greatly reduce the possibility of errors in this critical area of patient care.
- Digital dental x-ray and sensor benefits include improved quality of treatment, lowering patient exposure to x-ray radiation, digital storage and access to images, superior imaging, speed, accuracy, safety and ease of use, while reducing operating cost.
- Dental Endo Motor is a piece of equipment that allow mechanically driven files to be utilized during root canal treatments. This allows the dentist to prepare the endodontic canals with improved speed and convenience for both the patient and the care provider, while helps to reduce any type of post-procedure infection. Benefits include:
- Enables such procedures to be done in a more effective and efficient way
- It is more convenient than hand files and easy way to shape
- Tremendously reduces patient sitting time
- Helps in proper cleaning of canal