Trust House chairman Brian Bourke put his mouth where the Trust's money was - happily allowing a surgeon to shove a gastroscope down his throat on Wednesday night to show off Wairarapa Hospital's latest hi-tech charitable acquisition.
Mr Bourke, buoyed only by anaesthetic spray, mystifyingly described the experience as "fun" after
his gullet was invaded by surgeon and chief medical officer Alan Shirley, as the pair demonstrated the hospital's new $43,000 gastroscope donated by the Trust.
The multi-talented piece of technology is used in endoscopy - a special diagnostic technique that's a crucial tool for navigating the body's interior in the early detection of many cancers and ulcers.
Before undertaking the revealing procedure Mr Shirley showed Trust House trustees and DHB staff the gastroscope, and described how the versatile gizmo can inflate organs, cauterise lesions, snip polyps and retrieve swallowed objects.
Mr Shirley then slid the thin, flexible tube containing a tiny video camera and light down Mr Bourke's throat while onlookers got an intimate tour of his oesophagus in graphic technicolour, displayed on a video screen.
"I felt it," Mr Bourke said, "it was fun and gave me a view of my insides I don't normally see - I was surprised how clean I was."
Trust House gave the hospital $58,700 to buy the new gastroscope for the Perioperative Unit plus a top-of-the-range electrocardiograph machine (ECG), for use in Outpatients.
Mr Shirley said the ECG machine was an essential piece of equipment for the early diagnosis of heart disease and said both clinical diagnostic tools allow timely decision making in a critical area of care.
Mr Shirley said the endoscopy suite is getting busier and busier, "the hospital performed 640 endoscopies in the last financial year and to keep this service running we need new equipment. This equipment will greatly enhance our ability to provide a more comprehensive and timely service to our patients - the residents of Wairarapa."
Mr Bourke said Trust House donates about $3million each year to Wairarapa projects and the gastroscope and ECG was one of their most significant gifts.
"The hospital is in partnership with the whole community and we are pleased to help you do your job better," he said.
