The country’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie, has provided details about the number of operable ventilators and beds available in Intensive Care Units, ICUs, in health facilities around the country.
Her update follows claims by Opposition Spokesperson on Health, Dr. Alfred Dawes, that there are less than 40 ICU beds available in the country.
The CMO is on a list of senior public health officials that the PNP and its affiliates have called on to resign over their poor management of the health sector.
Mahiri Stewart has that story.
In a statement on Monday, Dr. Alfred Dawes stated that reports he received indicated that there were only 35 ICU beds available across the health system.
Dr. Dawes called on the Health Ministry to tell the public about the country’s current ICU capacity.
The CMO, Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie told Wednesday’s post-cabinet media briefing that 43 ICU beds are available in the island for adults.
She says extra high dependency areas exist to ventilate patients awaiting an ICU bed.
As it relates to neonates, Dr. Bisasor McKenzie stated that approximately 56 ICU spaces are available for them.
The CMO says this is in addition to 18 maternal units created for three hospitals through the European Union’s Programme for the Reduction of Maternal and Child Mortality, PROMAC.
Dr. Bisasor-McKenzie says 90 ventilators are now operable across the health sector for both adults and neonates.
And the Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. Christopher Tufton, says the report of the investigation into the death of Morant Bay councillor, the PNP’s Rohan Bryan will be reviewed by a panel of experienced physicians and legal experts.
Mr. Bryan died in April after being admitted for care at the Princess Margaret Hospital.
Dr. Christopher Tufton, Health Minister.
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