SFGH neo-natal unit up and running

At a media conference last week, medical director (acting) at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital Dr Anthony Parkinson said the neonatal unit at the SFGH had been shut down after five babies contracted a bacterial infection, all of which occurred at the same time.

The neonatal unit of a hospital provides expert, round-the-clock care for newborn babies who are ill or are born prematurely.

In a telephone interview yesterday, SWRHA chairman, Dr Alex Sinanan, said the unit had been closed on October 22 but had since reopened after the necessary rehabilitative works had been done at the unit.

“The closure occurred in October, so the issue has been sorted out,” he said, adding, “it was closed at the time because of a couple of infections but the unit has subsequently been sanitised.” In a media statement yesterday, Barataria/San Juan MP, Dr Fuad Khan, expressed frustration that the current administration was undermining “decades of progress in the public health sector through negligence and mismanagement.” “The closure of the Neonatal Unit at the San Fernando General Hospital is only the latest in a series of gaffes by this Government that is severely affecting the health care services being provided to our citizens. What this has done is not only added further burden to the neonatal unit at the Portof- Spain General Hospital, which is now tasked with caring for the babies relocated from the San Fernando facility, but during the time that it takes for the San Fernando unit to be repaired, there are currently no neonatal facilities to service citizens south of the Caroni bridge,” Khan stated.

He once again pointed out that the Couva Children’s Hospital was “designed with fully-functioning and advanced Neonatal ward that could be used in the current situation to assist in not only treating the babies who are currently being relocated to Port-of-Spain, but can also relieve the workload from the other units across the island.” Khan also alleged that there had been a “sharp decrease in the number of qualified neonatal nurse and midwives” at the public health facilities.