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DR. MELTON DOUGLAS
Having retired just yesterday in January of 2023, Dr Melton Douglas’ 56 years of dedication to the profession he so deeply loves is rewarded by hundreds of healed patients and the legacy of a successful career.
What was your initial attraction to the field of orthopedics?
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I was attracted to the field of orthopedics because of the ability to make a major impact in a very short while From the perspective of the outcome in the treatment of orthopedic injuries, having a bed-bound patient with multiple injuries on day 1, and then taking them from the operating theatre to significant mobility within 24 hours - the road to recovery is what attracted me to orthopedics
Dr. Douglas speaks to his greatest achievement with well-deserved pride. “I was one of the first set of Orthopaedic Surgeons who did spinal surgery in Jamaica I initiated a lot of the background facilities to orthopaedic surgery and am responsible for a lot of the early cases of spinal orthopaedic surgery in Jamaica I’m happy that I contributed to patient well-being and patient treatment in the early stages Thankful that there are more surgeons who are trained in Orthopaedic Spinal Surgery who have advanced the speciality. I am indeed very proud of them.”
However, despite significant contributions over the years, there is alway room for improvement What would Dr Douglas like to see evolving in orthopeadics in Jamaica?
“One of the major bottlenecks in Orthopaedics is the availability of surgery time. There is simply not enough emergency surgical time given to treat emergency cases and the same applies to elective cases If we could expand this area of service it would make a huge difference to patient load management and make a significant impact in overall patient care ”He also cites the need to increase orthopaedic services in other hospitals across the island “All hospitals should be provided with the resources to treat Ortho cases ”
If you could do one thing, leave one mark, to the younger generation in your field, what would it be?
THAT’S THE BEST WE CAN DO AND I THINK WE HAVE DONE THAT WELL."
