Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis, January 16, 2022 [Press Secretary’s Office]: The Joseph N. France (JNF) General Hospital wishes to alert the public that cataract surgeries will be resuming at the institution within a few weeks, following the successful purchase of new equipment for a multitude of eye procedures.

The Ministry of Health and the Executive Management of JNF stated that cataract surgeries were halted in the hospital since June 2022 due to the lack of proper equipment.

Since assuming office in August 2022, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis and Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew made a pledge to restore the general hospital to full functionality. Since then, the search and purchase of new equipment for various sectors within the hospital have been aggressively and successfully sought over the past months.

EC $784,564 was spent to purchase the much-needed equipment. The Eye Clinic is set to receive:

A Visuref 150 Autorefractor, a professional instrument that delivers fast, reliable objective refraction and keratometry results for an in-depth assessment of patient condition and conducts cornea and pupil diameter measurements, image capturing and contact lens base curve measurements.

A ZEISS OPMI LUMERA 700, which is a surgical microscope that can be used for every cataract surgery. It provides outstanding anterior views and precise assistance functions.

Multiple Electrosurgery forceps, used routinely in eye surgery to cut, coagulate, dissect, fulgurate, ablate and shrink tissue. 

The new equipment will allow the Eye Clinic to once again function at full capacity.

The Ministry of Health apologizes for the inconvenience caused during the past months and is committed to continued improvements.