Bostic: QEH services have not been affected in a negative way

MINISTER of Health and Wellness, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Bostic, does not anticipate that the services being provided by the Queen Elizabeth Hospital will be affected with the announcement that in the last week ten members of staff have tested positive for COVID-19.

During a press briefing at Ilaro Court on Saturday, Minister Bostic noted that the cases at the Martindale Road institution are “sporadic”.

“I say sporadic because there are several departments as you would appreciate within the QEH and these persons that have tested positive, the ten persons, are not identified within one or two departments within the QEH but they touch a number of departments.

“And in that sense, the impact on the delivery of services in those departments have not been impacted in a negative way by those persons who have tested positive. I would also add that the evidence at this point does not suggest that these cases originated within the QEH, but is part of the community spread based on other cases that we have been following.

“The QEH is still in a position to provide the services that it has to provide. Obviously there will be concern there because some staff has been impacted and staff has been impacted in other institutions, but it does not stop the QEH from fulfilling its mandate. The QEH is prepared for several types of emergency situations, including hurricanes and devastating hurricanes, and how they will reconfigure in a situation like that when they do not have the full staff complement available to the QEH at this point in time. It is nowhere near that.”

A public notice issued on Saturday assured that the QEH is taking swift action in response to the new COVID-19 cases among staff and to ensure continued high quality patient care and protection of hospital’s staff.

“Cases among staff members at the QEH have grown from four to ten within the last week. The six additional staff members who were recently diagnosed come from various categories of staff and include four nurses, one general worker and one maid.”

In a “weekly update” to the hospital’s staff which gave details on the sit-uation, the Executive Chairperson, Juliette Bynoe-Sutherland, assured the staff that there was no evidence that any other staff or patients had been infected. The memo informed that as a result of the new cases, appropriate action was being taken at every level of the hospital; established protocols and best practices were being followed and staff should remain vigilant with the use and wearing of PPE. The update cautioned that with increases of COVID cases in the country, the hospital should expect to be impacted.

The Executive Chairperson also assured staff that the hospital had planned for this eventuality. In preparation for a possible spike in cases, the QEH had acquired 7,200 COVID antigen rapid tests for use in AED, Surgery and Medicine. She indicated that other measures to further increase safety and capacity were also being put in place and the staff would be informed of these shortly.

The hospital update revealed that patients were providing incorrect or misleading information to medical personnel when being assessed. This situation requires a public education campaign to guide the public on the importance of giving accurate information and to reduce risks to members of staff. The memo spoke to the importance of the public understanding that Harrison Point and Blackman Gollop have the specialist staff and equipment to care for them when COVID may be suspected.