The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

THE fight against childhood forms of cancer has gained another ally. The Rotary Club of East Nassau and the SickKids Foundation have unified their efforts to align the Bahamas with its regional counterparts in improving the lives of children suffering from the many forms of childhood cancer.

The Caribbean SickKids Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorder Initiative is a collaborative effort between the Canadian-based Hospital for Sick Children and six selected Caribbean countries. The goal is to improve the quality of life and outcomes for children living with lethal forms of cancer and blood disorders and their families in Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Bahamas.

The president of Rotary Club’s Nassau East branch, Elmer Lowe, said yesterday that when SickKids Canada contacted them and other branches in the Caribbean requesting assistance in standardising their offices throughout the region that they were “only too happy to help”.

SickKids has a five-year plan to raise nearly $8 million to help with laboratory enhancements, education and the establishment of a registry database throughout the Caribbean. Dr Corrine Sin Quee, a Pediatric Hematologist specialist who spearheads the initiative in the Bahamas, said that connections made through the SickKids initiatives are ones that saves lives and assist families. Dr Sin Quee claims that the initiative has bred a “standardised protocol” throughout the region on dealing with such tragic situations.

In terms of education SickKids aims to develop training opportunities for health care professionals already working in the field around the region. The plan is to insert these newly-trained personnel throughout the Caribbean to assist in treating, medicating and hopefully alleviating pediatric cancers and blood disorders. The Princess Margaret Hospital has nearly 60 University of The West Indies’ medical students completing their residency at the hospital.

Yesterday’s donation valued at $2,000 of a laptop, multi-function printer, scanner and Microsoft Office software made by the Rotary Club of East Nassau acts as the link for the Bahamas to other ‘SickKids’ hospitals around the Caribbean. The goal is to create a regional database capable of collecting prospective data.

Dr Sin Quee claims that a database of this size will go a long way in the fight against childhood forms of cancer throughout the Caribbean. She explained that hospitals synched with the database will be able to pool not only knowledge but in some cases resources in a timely manner.

“Information can be shared between hospitals in the Caribbean without the need of travel,” Dr Sin Quee said, suggesting that operations like this can start the conversation of what is truly tangible and intangible when it comes to medicine and treatment.

“Through the donation we hope to help them carry on the great work they are doing and to be better connected with other SickKids hospitals throughout the region,” said Mr Lowe.

Dr Sin Quee explained that the initiative’s willingness to help has created a “framework” that encourages and generates a will in people and companies to do more to aid children and families in need.