Paul Fisher, Consultant at Caithness General Hospital said:
‘Although in the early days, ‘laparoscopic inguinal’ hernia repair was met with caution, it is now with the increasing experience available, been accepted as a method of repair. It has been proved that the patient benefits from a more
comfortable operation as well as an earlier return to normal activities. This is
particularly important in younger patients who can get back to work quicker.
We were very lucky to have had the help of Mr. Donald Menzies from
Colchester, who is very experienced in this field of surgery and he was ably
supported by Dr. John MacLeod, Consultant Anaesthetist, plus of course the
theatre and ward staff in Caithness General.
It is planned to perform more of these procedures and as our expertise increases we hope to attract patients from elsewhere in the Highlands. This is a great boost for Caithness and for rural hospitals in general. There is no reason why a rural hospital cannot offer a specialist service provided it has the right financial investment to acquire new skills. This may prove to be the one way to not only ensure the survival of local hospitals, but also to allow them to grow.
