Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre cancels non-emergency and elective surgeries on Monday as its sterilizer is non-functional

All elective surgeries and non-emergency surgical procedures were
were cancelled at the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre on Monday, July
17, because a critical piece of equipment – the sterilizer – is out of
operation.

A source informed REAL News that a notice had been sent out to the
affected medical personnel at the behest of Medical Director Dr.
Albert Duncan.

Commenting on the situation, one doctor describes the hospital as
having “no redundancy at all” – meaning that there is no effective
Plan B to be put into operation in such circumstances.

Another tells our Newsroom she agrees with the notion that the
entire country is on autopilot and leadership is lacking. Accordingly,
she says, the medical fraternity, with God’s help, simply does what it
knows is best.

Complaints about the hospital’s services continue to mount and
have even made their way into this year’s calypso offerings.
Residents have told news that the wait for certain tests –
particularly in the eyecare clinic – is inordinate, while some lab
work simply cannot be undertaken at the medical centre.

Other shortcomings include poor sanitation, which recently led to an
infestation of rats that shut down the hospital’s kitchen; the
shortage of vaccines, sheets and pillows; a faltering air-conditioning
system; and inadequate maintenance, overall.

Only a few weeks ago, the Browne Administration was forced to
admit that a hyperbaric chamber – a 2018 donation from
Ambassador Calvin Ayre – has been inoperable for years. As a
consequence, persons suffering from decompression sickness have
had to be airlifted to Guadeloupe for treatment.

Many of the clinics are in no better shape, patients say, with the All
Saints Clinic and the Clare Hall Clinic being among the latest
casualties of the healthcare system.