Chief Medical Officer in the health ministry, Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor McKenzie, says the more than 100 ventilators are enough to meet the demands in the public health system.
She was speaking on Nationwide at Five on Thursday.
Shaloy Smikle reports.
The matter of ventilators available cross the public health system has been a topic of intense discussion in recent days.
This comes after Opposition Spokesman on Health, Dr. Alfred Dawes, questioned the whereabouts of one hundred and 5 ventilators that were reportedly donated to the government during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The ministry has revealed there are a total of 191 ventilators now available across the health system.
In a statement Thursday evening, the ministry says of that number, 120 are fully functional and in use.
It says the remaining 71 ventilators are non-functional given issues of maintenance, including the need for spare parts that are not available in the country.
The detailed inventory of these sensitive machines that help a patient breathe when they are sick, injured, or sedated for an operation by the ministry is in response to a call by Dr. Dawes for an audit to establish the extent of working ventilators in the country.
CMO, Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor McKenzie, says the machines on hand in working condition are enough to respond depending on the need at hand.
Dr. Bisasor McKenzie says it is important for Jamaicans to note that there are various opportunities for critical care treatment.
And the CMO also notes that the allocation of equipment and personnel for critical care is done on a needs-by-needs basis.
Meanwhile, the CMO says Jamaica’s health sector is in its best state in many years.
Dr. Bisasor McKenzie says the ministry has been focusing on the ongoing reform of primary and secondary health care infrastructure.
Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor McKenzie, Chief Medical Officer in the Ministry of Health and Wellness. She was speaking on Nationwide at Five on Thursday.
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