Lupus day unit at QEH soon

Minister of Health Donville Inniss (second from left) ahead of a group of walkers along the Graeme Hall section of the route. (Pictures by Nigel Browne.)

The Hope Foundation president, Shelly Weir, who said there were still challenges facing lupus patients but that things were getting better.

Mon, August 27, 2012 - 12:09 AM

After years of lobbying, The Hope Foundation should in a few months have a day unit for lupus sufferers set up at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH).

QEH board member Shelly Weir – who is also president of The Hope Foundation, an organization that raises awareness on lupus and assists its sufferers – confirmed the unit specifically geared to deal with special cases would soon be in place.

“I have been proposing a day unit at the hospital since 2001 and within the next couple of months it should become a reality.

“The idea was born from the plight of ‘sicklers’ [people with sickle cell anaemia]. In our opinion, the crisis pain management at the hospital for these patients was ineffective and we also had cases where anaemia patients were overdosed on the narcotic used to treat them, not to mention the long wait at the Accident & Emergency Department.

“Due to all this, it was thought there was a need for a place where such patients could be seen immediately and where treatment would be both consistent and effective,” she said. (CA)

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