Chest diseases centre long in the making
Posted Feb 5, 2010 By Sheena Bolton
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EMC News For close to 30 years, Dr. Farid Shamji has been working towards his final goal, which was realized on Jan. 2 when The Ottawa Hospital opened its Chest Diseases Centre.
Sheena Bolton, Ottawa South EMC
Dr. Farid Shamji, professor of surgery division of thoracic surgery (left) and Dr. Sudhir Sundaresan, head of thoracic surgery, stand in the new Chest Diseases Centre on the sixth floor of The Ottawa General Hospital.
"Thoracic surgery used to be at three hospitals in Ottawa: the Civic, the General and the Riverside," said Dr. Shamji, a professor of surgery in the division of thoracic surgery at The Ottawa Hospital's General Campus. "The training program in thoracic surgery was at the Civic hospital, where the largest volume of work was being done."
After amalgamation of the hospitals following the Ontario Health Restructuring Commission in 1999, the thoracic program was re-located to the General Campus. After opening a cancer assessment unit a couple of years ago, The Ottawa Hospital set a goal of five years to find room to accommodate a chest diseases centre.
"So the time was right now and the reason for opening the Chest Diseases Centre is because it involves three specialties all in the same location," said Dr. Shamji. "We have thoracic surgery, respirology and we have head and neck surgery all in one area."
The centre brings together thoracic surgeons, pulmonary physicians, otolaryngologists, specialized nurses and other heath care professionals in one location. The centre will also help medical students with specialized training from those in the centre.
The thoracic area can be found on the sixth floor of the General Campus. The sixth floor also has an esophageal functioning laboratory, which Dr. Shamji opened with his own money in 1983.
"It's still under my control," he said. "Along with the centre (on the sixth floor) we have our office, our ward is on the side and we have a unit where patients can recover after an operation."
Dr. Shamji explained that all of these measures aim to harmonize patient care for individuals with thoracic issues.
"The idea was to allow singular care so patient care can be done without any barriers," said Dr. Shamji. "The idea is that in the future patients will not just be referred to thoracic surgery or pulmonary medicine, they will be referred to the Chest Diseases Centre to a particular specialty."
The first of its kind in Canada, the centre will provide multiple benefits including financial savings for the hospital and enhancing patient care.
"The hospital has done everything we've asked for and their administration has been 110% supportive," said Dr. Shamji. "We will build upon what they gave us."
More information about The Ottawa Hospital can be found at www.ottawahospital.on.ca.
