A hospital for women

WOMEN now have a place to go to see about their every female health issue, including pregnancy, cancer, obstetric/gynaecology problems and even infertility, all under one roof.

The Sanjivani Women’s Hospital formally opened its doors at Wilson Street, St Augustine, on Saturday, under the directorship of obstetrician/gynaecologist (ob/gyn) consultant Dr Prakashbhan Persad.

Persad practised abroad, in the public sector in TT and then moved on to the private sector. He was not pleased with what he saw in any of the sectors and followed his friend’s, now deceased, Dr Andy Bhagwandass’ advice.

“If you don’t like it, then build your own.” And he did just that to cater for women whose needs may have been neglected or may have fallen off the radar from other health institutions.

Construction on the building began in April, 2017, and the doors will be opened today (Monday) to its patients, four months later than scheduled, but according to Persad, the progress has been ground breaking. While he could not say the exact source of the cost of construction and furnishing the hospital, Persad said the cost was about $50 million, all his own financing.

Speaking with the Newsday about his ambitious endeavour at a time when the economy was not the best, and with him not getting the support he expected, Persad said “women’s health care is not one of the things we do, it is the only thing we do.”

He said the facility, which looks nothing like a hospital, but more like a health spa where one is indulged, offered services which ranged from ob/gyn services, infertility, gynaecological and breast cancer, internal medicine and plastic surgery.

The hospital offered two operating theatres with state-of-the-art equipment, viewing rooms for family members who wanted to witness the birth of their loved one’s baby, recuperating rooms for mothers and fold-out chairs for dads who wanted to spend the night. It also boasted a paediatric suite complete with incubators and travel ventilators.

Asked about the relationship between the hospital and the Barbados Fertility Clinic, Persad said he had a longs standing relationship with the organisation, and having a women’s hospital with a fertility clinic was a synergistic one.

“This is a matter of having everything under one roof for women’s health care. Women’s health care is very much talked about, but is not acted upon a lot. It is a good political point. but there are no politicians here of course.”