safety steps

CABINET NOTES – The Cabinet invited the Chief Medical Director and four (4) other management officials of the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre (SLBMC) to provide an update on the several improvements that are taking place at the country’s premiere medical center. 

For more than an hour the officials answered piercing and probing questions of the Cabinet ministers. The members focused upon the Emergency Room Care, Hospital Care, Medication availability, and the central air conditioning system.

The Medical Director noted that there is a higher volume of patients making use of the Medical Center and that the patients must be divided into Urgent Care and Emergency Care.

He pointed out that 35 medical practitioners are employed by the SLBMC in addition to 14 consultants, 12 interns, and 6 student interns. There is no shortage of doctors; however, there is a shortage of nurses. 19 physicians and 3 nurses serve the Emergency Room 24 hours daily; but, the ER is perpetually busy especially during peak hours from 5am to 7pm.

The IT Department in the hospital proposes an electronic system to count the actual number of persons using the ER operations daily. The UWI Five Islands Campus Nursing programme is training a cadre of nurses every year who will find employment at the SLBMC to address the shortage of nurses.

ii. The air conditioning system is proving to be one of the biggest challenges faced by the SLBMC. On an inspection, the Minister and the new manager of the hospital’s maintenance discovered 20 empty bottles of Freon—the substance utilized by A/Cs and refrigerators to lower temperatures in these machines.

There was a recognition that all the systems require strong maintenance. Until such time that the central unit is either repaired or replaced, 30 individual units have been installed in critical places in the hospital.

A 50-ton chiller has been purchased for the Operating Theatres at the SLBMC; the chiller produces cold water which plays a critical role in the cooling of the air that enters into the theatres.

iii. The Cabinet learned that continuous training of nurses and other personnel takes place at the SLBMC.  Customer service training is very important for those who interact with the public.

Most out-patients are eager to see a doctor although several steps are required usually before that happens. First, there is the registration of the patient where pertinent biographical data are solicited.

Second, the step called ‘triage’ is undertaken where the nurses determine if the patient requires urgent or emergency care. Dependent upon the urgency some patients will immediately see the doctor, and some patients will wait for others who have greater need.

iv. The Hospital has an annual budget of $75 million; however, a little more than $100 million is required to meet all of its needs. However, its pricing structure does not allow for it to meet its needs, because children under sixteen and adults older than sixty are exempt from payment.