PoS hospital closes clinics

In a media release on June 23, the North West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA) announced the Medical Outpatients, Surgical Outpatients, Dermatology and Gynaecology clinics would be closed today as it, “has become necessary to facilitate urgent infrastructural work at the facility.” NWRHA CEO Sheldon Cyrus yesterday said repairs are to be done on ceiling tiles that had fallen in the Medical Records Department.

This meant patients’ files could not be accessed for their clinics. Cyrus was unable to say how many patients were affected by the clinics closure. He said the authority was seeking to have the problem fixed “hopefully” within two-days time.

The NWRHA release said all clinic appointments would be rescheduled.

It also advised that in emergency cases patients should visit their nearest health centre or the Accident and Emergency Departments at Port of Spain General Hospital or St James Medical Complex.

At last month’s opening of the Government Campus Plaza, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said Government would retrofit the aged hospital to deal with the major threat of an earthquake.

He was quoted as saying in a May 10 Newsday article that the hospital had serious engineering difficulties and should there be a major earthquake, there could be structural failure.