SANDO
HOSPITAL IN STATE OF COLLAPSE
The National Health
Workers Union (NHWU) is outraged at the scandalous and extremely hazardous
situation which exists at the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) and additionally
roundly condemns the Minister of Health Dr. Fuad Khan for his callous,
malicious and unwarranted attacks on nursing personnel at the Port of Spain
General Hospital (POSGH).The “new wing” of SFGH
(not the Teaching Hospital) has been without air condition service for over two
weeks. The two units that provided central cooling to the building have broken
down and estimates suggest that they may be inoperable for between another four
(4) to six (6) weeks.
This situation poses
great risk to the health and wellbeing of all staff, patients, visitors and
even their families at home. A hospital is not an office facility but one which
services hundreds of people on a daily basis with a wide ranging number of
illnesses. Ventilation and adequate air
circulation are key components in the maintenance of proper hygiene of such
facilities. Anyone with knowledge of the new wing and its cousin, the Teaching
Hospital, would be aware that they are totally dependent on a continuous supply
of air conditioning.
One of the two units
at the “new wing” broke down some months ago and very little effort was made to
have it repaired; therefore when the second unit failed it has resulted in total
chaos. Costly and ineffective temporary fixes are being tried but with little
success. In the meantime patients and staff are subjected to sweltering heat
and poor ventilation. Patients have to be rescheduled after waiting months for
their visits and staff are becoming ill due to the oppressive conditions but
continue to display their usual duty of care and commitment to their patients.
Over a dozen areas in
the new wing are adversely affected including Accident and Emergency (Casualty)
Resuscitation Room: this is the area where critically ill
patients are stabilized. Central Sterile Services department (CSSD), this is
the area where instruments are sterilized; Phlebotomy, this is where blood
samples are drawn; all Operating theatres; Pharmacy; Intensive Care Unit; High
Dependency Unit; General Surgery; Ward 10A, Orthopaedic male and female; Eye Ear
Nose and Throat clinic.
This situation has
been going on for weeks and not one word of commendation to the staff from the
Minister, Board of Directors or management. If, however, workers decide that
enough is enough, one is sure to hear the toxic tongues of those mentioned
blasting them for not caring. This situation with the air condition units is
symptomatic of the dysfunctional operations endemic at the RHA’s.
Are there preventative
maintenance schedules in place? Are they known and available to staff? Are they
being implemented? Are there adequate stocks of critical spares on site? Does
management ever do internal audits on their procedures and policies and
evaluate their availability and compliance?
Instead of ensuring
these questions are answered positively, the Minister is constantly seeking
photo-ops and sound bites and seeking to come across as the defender of patient
rights at the expense of the hard working health care professionals and nursing
personnel in particular.
Can anyone fathom the
audacity of the Minister to openly admit that gang members run rampant in Mount
Hope, nurses being assaulted on the job at POSGH but that nursing personnel
must stand firm and continue to provide patient care? The Minister seems oblivious to the fact that
he is confirming the total breakdown of security measures at all the RHA’s and
that he, the respective Boards of Directors and management are culpable.
To add insult to
injury the Minister has the gall to ascribe the current turmoil in health to
the fact that unions are organizing health workers. What utter rubbish. Yes!! The
NHWU is organizing health workers throughout the country but that has nothing to
do with workers’ demands for adequate safety and a comfortable working
environment.
The NHWU invites the
Minister of Health to leave the comfort of the television studios and do a walk
through the new wing at SFGH starting at 12.00 noon.