4 October 2007
Gordon Brown has opened a state-of-the-art heart unit on a visit to Basildon hospital.
Accompanied by Health Secretary Alan Johnston and minister Lord Darzi, the PM officially opened the Essex Cardiothoracic Centre this morning. The £60 million centre opened to patients on 1 July and is one of the most modern of its kind in the country.
Mr Brown met with surgeons in the operating theatre and with nurses on one of the wards. He also took time to meet patients and discuss the treatment they are receiving.
The centre, at the Basildon and Thurrock NHS Trust, has facilities for 100 patients and the capacity to perform 1,400 surgical procedures and 2,500 cardiology procedures each year. It was the world’s first medical facility to make use of LED lights in the operating theatre that moderate their output according to the patient’s body temperature.
Image copyright: Reuters
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