Royal Philips, a global leader in health technology, and the Gibraltar Health Authority have announced they have signed a long-term strategic partnership continuing their long-standing relationship and marking ambitions to advance radiology and cardiology patient care. As part of the agreement, the building of a brand-new interventional cardiac suite will commence later this year. The construction and installation of this specialist equipment will take approximately nine to 12 months and will be accompanied by a service agreement to ensure ongoing maintenance of the equipment.
Gibraltar’s newly improved services will bring sustainable benefits for patients at St Bernard’s Hospital, with developments expected to lead to more cardiac patients receiving local treatment, instead of travelling across the border to neighbouring Spain. Expected clinical outcomes include reduced length of stays for such patients, relieving pressure on demand for hospital beds and ambulance transport services and improvement in 30-day mortality rates.
The new interventional suite will bring St Bernard’s Hospital’s services up to full operating capacity, allowing more patients to receive a range of cardiology treatments such as coronary angioplasty, catheterisation to treat artery blockages and minimally invasive replacement of heart valves.
In parallel, existing Philips systems within the hospital will be upgraded with the latest technology, including the replacement of equipment in two X-ray rooms, a fluoroscopy room for real-time moving X-ray imagery and ultrasound systems. As part of the agreement, a new CT system will reduce downtime and delays in diagnostics whilst creating opportunities for St Bernard’s cardiology and radiology teams to further expand services. This could see the Gibraltar Health Authority continue to bring care closer to home for future patients, such as through the availability of coronary CT scanning.
