Medical appointments just got more convenient for 40,000 outpatients at the Queensway Carleton Hospital.
The Sreedhar Natarajan ambulatory care centre and the QCH outpatient rehabilitation program officially opened Thursday.
The upgrades mean the hospital is a one-stop shop for patients.
“They can have access to specialists in their fields, whether it is cardiology or respirology or orthopedics,” said Brian Smith, director of ambulatory care and therapeutic services.
In addition, there’s a telehealth consultation room “where we actually have patients come in for telemedicine calls remotely, so patients don’t have to travel to the hospital.”
The new centre comes thanks in part to Natarajan, who donated $1 million.
“You can tell I’m an engineer, which means I hate hospitals,” joked Natarajan.
He has only visited QCH once, about five years ago when he severed tendons in his thumb.
“I was having a glass of wine and the wine glass tipped over and I tried to grab it, and I caught it after it broke,” Natarajan said. “And I was in a cast for a good six, seven weeks. I thought it was just a cut, but it happened to be a good 2-1/2 hour surgery.”
Natarajan decided to donate to the hospital, even though he shuttles back and forth between Taiwan and his home in Stittsville.
“If people don’t give, nothing’s going to expand right? And the government has been good to me, so why not give back?” he said.
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http://www.ottawasun.com/2012/06/28/donor-gives-1m-to-upgrade-qch
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