This afternoon the Minister for Health and Care, Gemma Arias-Vasquez, officially opened a brand new Day Infusion Unit (DIU) at St Bernard’s Hospital. The unit has expanded capabilities which will provide an enhanced service to the cohort of patients in need of regular intravenous medication. Currently an average of 22 patients are seen every week. However, this service is expanding and an increase is foreseen in future. 

The new unit has increased capacity, will be more spacious and comfortable for users, and is kitted out with excellent technical equipment. It will also incorporate the latest infection control procedures. 

The DIU caters for patients who require transfusions, infusions through a drip rather than tablets, and antibody treatment. In practical terms, the growth in footprint means the unit will now be able to provide an effective outpatient service, ensure this is carried out in a timely manner and, importantly, with less waiting times. In the past these patients would almost certainly have required admission to St Bernard’s Hospital, so the added advantage of keeping people out of hospital and safeguarding beds is notable. 

The DIU will also be administering iron infusions, immunoglobulin for neurological cases and intravenous biological treatment for conditions such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (e.g. Crohn’s, Ulcerative Colitis), and rheumatological and dermatological ailments. It will also be conducting 90% of all dynamic endocrine tests. 

The importance of the unit has been highlighted by clinicians who have noted the positive knock- on effect, as the health condition of patients receiving these timely treatments do not generally deteriorate to the point of requiring hospital admission or surgery, as was the case in the past. In fact, admissions have been kept down, as have requests for blood transfusions. 

GHA Director General Kevin McGee expressed satisfaction that the new unit was now up and running, and said: “This is a continuation of a service that was established some years ago but has now developed bigger and better as demand for this service has grown and we needed to respond by creating the extra capacity that was required. It is further proof of the adaptability and resilience of GHA staff that this has become possible.” 

The Minister for Health and Care, Gemma Arias-Vasquez, said: “I was delighted to officially open the DIU Unit this afternoon. The unit is now providing a valuable service to patients who are benefitting from this enhanced provision. We shall continue to invest resources across the GHA and continue the expansion of specialised health facilities where possible which will, in turn, cut down on waiting times to ensure that Gibraltarians receive the first-class medical attention that we are committed to providing.”