Medical Care compromised at Sando Hospital

SUSPECTED dengue haemorrhaghic fever and overcrowding may have jeopardised levels of medical care at the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH). This was the grave concern expressed yesterday by the hospital’s Medical Chief of Staff Dr Austin Trinidade. According to Trinidade: “We are treating it as suspected cases of dengue. They are showing all the symptoms of dengue. There are some very ill patents so we have not been able to send them home. They have had to be admitted. We have had an unprecedented increase in the number of patients. As many as 85 to 90 patients on a 25-bed ward. Imagine our nursing care, our medical care has been severely compromised.” Wards at the SFGH were packed to capacity due to the mystery illness and several persons had to be kept in the corridors. Asked if yesterday’s incident heightened the need for more space at SFGH, Trinidade replied: “Yes but there is also the problem of people bypassing the primary health centres coming directly into the hospital.” He added these centres could accommodate people for 24 hours and once proper treatment was sought, there was no need for persons to be admitted to hospital. In a release yesterday, the South-West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA) advised persons seeking medical attention to do avoid coming to the SFGH and go directly to other public health facilities.