Ministry of Health boasts about expansion of ER space while others ask about hospital wait times and staff shortages

As photos of the conditions at hospital Emergency Room (ER) make
the rounds, and with criticism from Opposition MPs about the state
of public healthcare, the Ministry of Health is announcing the
expansion of the ER at the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre.

On any given day, the ER is packed to capacity, with some patients
having to wait upwards of eight hours to see a doctor – even when
brought in by the Emergency Medical Services.
 
In a press release, the Ministry announced that work on this
expansion is already underway. And this project, it says, marks a
significant milestone in the Ministry’s commitment to enhancing
healthcare services.
 
Reportedly, the expansion initiative aims to triple the size of the
Emergency Room. This, officials say, is a crucial step towards
improving the hospital’s capacity to address the growing healthcare
needs of the community.
 
Health Minister Sir Molwyn Joseph, who has come in for harsh
criticism for his management of the system, is expressing
enthusiasm for the project, calling it “a pivotal step in enhancing
healthcare services.”
 
“This expansion not only triples the size of the ER but also
prioritizes patient privacy,” the minister adds.
 

The Ministry of Health says it “remains dedicated to ensuring that
the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre continues to serve as a beacon of
quality healthcare delivery, meeting the needs of our community
with excellence and compassion.”

Responding to the announcement on Tuesday morning, February 13,
United Progressive Party Chairman D.Gisele Isaac pointed to the $22
million already spent to repurpose the former NTTC building into a
never-used satellite hospital, as well as the unfinished Dialysis Unit
on the Holberton compound, and asks who is responsible for
planning at the Ministry of Health.
 
In the meantime, persons are asking what the Ministry will be doing
to lessen wait times at the hospital’s Emergency Room.

Further, sources note that an expanded ER does not correlate to
patients receiving the critical care they require, since there is a
perennial shortage of doctors – forcing those on staff to work longer
than eight-hour shifts,

Some physicians have also lamented the dwindling number of
nurses, as these professionals are leaving the country for better
opportunities abroad.