Wards at Black River Hospital to reopen by end of October

Black River Hospital in St Elizabeth is expected to reopen its wards by the end of October, following extensive repairs after the facility was severely damaged by Hurricane Melissa last year.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Diana Brown-Miller, said work is progressing on the hospital’s two male wards, paediatric ward and female ward, which were prioritised for emergency repairs following the hurricane.

“We are proposing to go back into the wards by the end of this month (October). Furniture is coming, equipment is coming, and partitions are coming on the inside,” Brown-Miller outlined.

She was addressing the Disaster Preparedness, Hazard Mitigation and Safety Committee meeting in Black River, St Elzabeth on October 6.

Brown-Miller stated that repairs are also being done on the administration block, main operating theatre and covered walkways to improve movement between the wards and other sections of the facility.

The hospital has been operating from tents provided by Samaritan’s Purse since December of last year as repairs continued.

Brown-Miller pointed out that the return to the wards will provide much-needed additional bed space, including approximately 10 additional beds in some areas.

“We are looking forward to going back into the wards. We are going to have additional bed space,” she explained.

In the meantime, the hospital is making adjustments to accommodate patients, including converting storage areas to create additional space.

According to Brown-Miller, the operating theatre resumed services in July and is currently handling between 170 and 200 cases per month.

Brown Miller also indicated that staff records and other administrative operations were affected by the hurricane but efforts are ongoing to restore services. She praised the hospital’s employees for continuing to work under difficult conditions since the disaster.

“I just want to thank my staff. They came up, they showed up, and they are still there. It has been rough, it has been hot but they are still coming out for work,” Brown-Miller underscored.

- JIS News

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