The BVI Health Services Authority introduced a tool on Monday that officials touted as a way to cut down long-term health care costs in the Virgin Islands: a tele-stroke machine.
The territory doesn’t have a full-time specialist to treat people who have suffered from strokes, but now they’ll be able to be treated remotely by Dr. Ulises Nobo, who practises out of Puerto Rico, said Dr. June Samuel, chief of medical staff at Peebles Hospital.
Dr. Nobo said the tele-stroke machine will allow him to access remotely a patient’s vital signs, blood work, and CT scan – all of which are mandatory before any treatment can be recommended.
The machine also features audio-video capability for patient-doctor communication, which is also essential because stroke protocol requires doctors to maintain contact with their clients for 45 minutes after treatment, he said.
While no one at the unveiling disclosed the price of the machine, Dr. Nobo assured those in attendance that it will cut health care costs in the long run because early treatment for stroke victims is key to ensuring that they are healthy later in life.
See the Oct. 9, 2014 edition for full coverage.