Newly is opened restored with the support of the ERDF The House of Genetics of The Children`s Hospital
On Wednesday, June 8th, one more restored building of The Children`s Hospital was opened – The House of Genetics, where hereinafter will be found The Clinic of Medical Genetics and Prenatal Diagnostics and The Genetic Laboratory. The area was restored with ERDF co-financing.
In the building, which was built in the last century, were carried out significant renovation works over an area of 1917 m². In the three-storey building now are located The Clinic of Medical Genetics and Prenatal Diagnostics and The Genetic Laboratory, which previously was located in the hospital "Gaylezers". It is particularly important that this cooperation of both structural units is possibly more closely related, thus increasing the efficiency of the diagnostic process, because the number of found abnormalities increases from year to year.
With the formation of The House of Genetics the stages of genetic patient consulting and researching were united in one place not only by age groups (prenatal, postnatal – children and adults), but also in the logistics and the research tactics of the material, which being studied. Thus, it became possible to develop closer cooperation between specialists of the laboratory and clinical geneticists, to promote and encourage targeted research in the case of complex diseases. It will also be possible to identify a potential diagnosis of the disease more quickly in cases of the in-depth investigation of a pregnant woman – by delivering a material immediately from the hall of procedures upstairs instead of organizing a courier, and by organizing medical consultations in cases of complex genetic diseases, in which will participate experts in molecular genetics, cytogenetics and specialists of the biochemical genetics laboratory.
The chairman of the board of The Children`s Hospital Anda Chaksha: “For many years The Children`s Hospital is developing the principle - the patient is at the center of all processes, so we create such conditions that the patient can receive all the necessary researches and consultations in one place. The opening of The House of Genetics is another step in this direction. For me it is important that doctors and nurses working in the hospital would feel it as a concern about their work conditions and could concentrate on the patient, always thinking about the best and the most secure solution for the patient.”
The head of The Clinic of Medical Genetics and Prenatal Diagnostics Ieva Malnietse: “With an increasing qualification of gynecologists around the country also the number of diagnosed pathologies has significantly increased by recognizing the changes in the early stages and purposefully directing a pregnant woman to the in-depth survey. We have expanded the molecular diagnostics research not only for children and adults, but also for pregnant women to diagnose diseases of the unborn child more accurately. "
The head of The Genetic Laboratory Dagne Gravele: “Today is the long awaited day for the Laboratory. The project of The House of Genetics was implemented and the genetic departments of the Laboratory got new premises. The road to this day was not easy. We planned a future lab with specific requirements of the cleanliness and the air pressure, so that nothing could affect the test material at various stages of its research. For many years, a change of residence for Latvians has been associated with thoughts about the future, dreams and hopes for their implementation. Likewise, we - the lab workers now forge plans for the future, dreaming of new technologies, new opportunities, so our cooperation with our closest colleagues - clinicians became more fertile and more focused on the patient - by developing new methods and technologies and cooperating with foreign specialists. "
With the opening of the House of Genetics was completed the implementation of the ERDF project "The development of inpatient health care infrastructure at the ''Children's Clinical University Hospital''", which started in 2011. As part of this project was carried out external and internal reconstruction in five buildings, and was purchased a number of technical support equipment. Therefore, at the moment in a hospital in Tornakalns upgraded 89.4% of historic buildings.
Most of construction works was carried out with the support of the project "The development of inpatient health care infrastructure at the ''Children's Clinical University Hospital''", which was co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The total amount of construction works amounted to 2 017 944.58 EUR, of which 84.21% - ERDF funding and 15.79% - financing CCUH. Construction works was carried out by "Torensberg" Ltd.
The CMGPD of the CCUH is the only of clinical departments in Latvia, which is providing a genetic counseling of patients of all ages and their families, who have suspected congenital or inherited genetic disease, by consulting about 2,500 children and adults per year. The clinic is held on average 2,800 consultations for pregnant women and ultrasound researches of fetus for patients with high or moderately high risk for the development of chromosomal or structural abnormalities of the fetus. The CMGPD provides an early prenatal diagnostics and organizes medical consultations of multidisciplinary professionals in cases of complex disease. Earlier in the clinic have been found more than 140 cases, where it was necessary to decide on the degree of complexity of the illness of the unborn child and related to it prognosis of the expectancy and quality of life, in turn, in 2015, 43 of the total registered 53 cases of Down syndrome the CMGPD identified before birth.
