Cay Hil:— Two local service clubs, the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise and the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset collaborated to donate a state-of-the-art fetal heart monitor to the Maternity Ward at the Sint Maarten Medical Center in recognition of Maternal and Child Health month recognized by Rotary in the month of April. One of the ways Rotary aims to improve the quality of healthcare provided to mothers and young children is by providing hospitals and clinics with lifesaving equipment.
Fetal heart monitoring is significant as it provides critical information about the fetus during late pregnancy and labor. The latest version donated to the Maternity Ward not only measures and records the fetus’ heart rate, but also that of the mother, providing healthcare providers with critical information about both mother and child. This machine also has internal memory and backup feature which allows a lifetime of a fetal heart tracing to be stored, archived, and retrieved. The BP technology embedded in this machine measures blood pressure during cuff inflation and is clinically validated for use in pregnancy. The monitor is capable of monitoring single, twins, and triplets using the same ultrasound frequency, allowing only one monitor to be used, further improving efficiencies.
On April 21st, 2021, the Rotary club presidents, Ms. Elisia Lake of Rotary Sunset and Mrs. Dolly Sadarangani-Ahuja of Rotary Sunrise, officially handed over the fetal monitor to the Maternity Ward Supervisor, Nurse Sherryl Carty-Fleming, OB-Gyn, Dr. Lam, and SMMC’s Medical Director, Dr. Felix Holiday.
“Thank you for your generous donation, as this fetal monitor is much needed and already in rotation at the hospital. The Maternity Ward is extremely grateful for both Rotary clubs partnering to sponsor such a modern machine, which is the first of its kind at the ward. The ward is in need of additional fetal monitors, and we look forward to continued support and donations of such from both clubs, as together we do our part in providing excellent care to mothers and babies,” said Nurse Sherryl Carty-Fleming.
The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset and Sunrise would like to thank the management and staff of the St. Maarten Medical Center and by extension the nurses of the Maternity Ward for their cooperation throughout this process and their selfless care provided to our mothers and babies.
