*Operating
theatre, all medical records lost
*Other health facilities open
their doors to displaced patients
The speedy response by staffers of
the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital and
the efforts of public spirited
citizens, as well as volunteers
from the nearby Guyana Red Cross,
averted a major catastrophe when
fire broke out at the institution
yesterday.
The St. Joseph
Mercy Hospital being ravaged by
yesterday’s fire.
The
Fire service also responded
quickly and managed to contain the
fire.
Fire
broke out at the hospital at 132
Parade Street, Kingston, just
after 7:00 hours,
And while the building was not
completely destroyed, the
operating theatre and all the
medical records were lost.
According to a registered nurse,
who asked to remain unnamed, she
was beginning her shift when the
fire alarm sounded. She noted that
this was when smoke was seen
coming from the office of one of
the hospital’s doctors, the
pediatrician – Dr. Rohan Jabour.
Thirty-seven adult patients, and
four babies were hurriedly
evacuated from the facility.
They were moved to the Police
Sports Club, Barrack Street, one
corner away, and were later
transferred to office of the
Guyana Red Cross Headquarters not
far away.
A back view of
St. Joseph Mercy Hospital on
fire
As
word of the fire spread, other
health care facilities, both
public and private, opened their
doors to the hospital.
Patients, accompanied by nurses ,
were shifted to the Georgetown
Public Hospital (GPH) , the
Woodlands Hospital, and the Davis
Memorial Hospital.
Reports reaching the Chronicle are
that the majority of St. Joseph
Mercy Hospital’s patients are
now resting at Davis Memorial.
Patients and
nurses at the Guyana Red Cross
By
9:00 hours, all the patients had
been moved from the Guyana Red
Cross office.
Attempts to contact the Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) of the St.
Joseph Mercy Hospital, Ms. Helen
Browman, proved futile.
However, the Chronicle was able to
contact the hospital’s Assistant
Administrator, Mrs. Marjorie Park,
who noted that the loss the
hospital suffered is significant,
particularly the loss of medical
records.
She added that it will take
“clever administrative work”
to see the hospital back on its
feet again.
“We are going to have to be
clever to ensure that everyone
goes back to work and find
accommodation for those affected,
not only the patients. The private
doctors as well as those on staff
have lost their records…I hope
that our patients will understand
our situation…We will do our
very best to get back on our
feet,” she said.
Parks expressed her appreciation
for the assistance rendered by
other health stakeholders.
Solidarity
In an invited comment, Health
Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy also
referred to the solidarity offered
to the hospital.
He said, “Guyana has always been
blessed with that, the solidarity
that comes out in times like
these; and because of that, we
avoid major disasters.”
He also made it clear that the
Health Ministry’s mandate does
not only extend to the public
sector, but also to the private
sector.
“Whatever affects health affects
us,” he posited.
“We will have to determine the
sort of help that can be given in
terms of recovery,” he
said.
Generally, Ramsammy lauded
the efficiency of the St. Joseph
Mercy Hospital.
One of the
patients being taken to Davis
Memorial Hospital
“We
have asked all the private
hospitals to extend privileges to
the nursing staff. That privilege
has already been extended by the
public sector, so the GPH, even
though space constraints exist
there, has opened its doors,” he
said.
The Health Minister added that the
use of the Health Ministry’s
transportation facilities have
also been placed at the disposal
of the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital.
Additionally, he noted that
mechanisms are in place to
facilitate needs for medicines and
medical supplies
“Mr. Khan (CEO of the GPHC) has
been instructed to cater to their
needs; so what the management of
the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital
needs to do is not run around to
many, many people. They have one
person that they can go to,” he
said.
Non-emergencies
Relative
to non-emergency situations, more
particularly the situation with
the Nursing School which is
located at the St. Joseph Mercy
Hospital, Ramsammy said steps will
be taken to ensure that the
nursing students do not fall too
far behind in their studies.
“What we will do is arrange with
the Nursing School in Georgetown
to make provisions for them to be
accommodated,” he said.
Next Steps
Patients
being transferred to other
health care institutions from
the Red Cross
(Photos
by Vanessa Narine and Cullen Bess-Nelson)
Ramsammy
said that the health sector in
Guyana needs St. Joseph Mercy
Hospital and the quality service
it provides.
He said, “The sector has been
improving, not because of the
public sector alone, but because
there have been general
improvements both at the private
and the public levels…the public
sector needs partners like Mercy
Hospital.”
The Health Minister said that, in
looking for a silver lining, St.
Joseph Mercy Hospital should view
this as an opportunity to
transform the facility into a
better one.
Among several others on the scene
of the fire were Prime Minister
Samuel Hinds and Junior Health
Minister, Dr. Bheri Ramsarran.
