St. Joseph Hospital reports progress in restoring services
CHIEF Fire Officer Marlon Gentle yesterday said investigations into the Monday morning blaze at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Parade Street, Kingston, Georgetown, are still ongoing. In invited comments, he said the process would take some time but maintained that investigators are seriously considering the theory that its origin was electrical.
Meanwhile, Assistant Administrator of the hospital, Mrs. Marjorie Park reported that the water supply situation, which was the main concern, is being addressed and should return to normalcy by today.
She said, too, that some of the pipelines which were damaged in the conflagration had to be rerouted to ensure that the still standing buildings in the complex are supplied.
The Lot 132 Parade Street facility is one of the premier health care delivery institutions and the destroyed sections include the offices of private doctors who functioned from there, the emergency room, the admissions, discharge and nursing service areas, one of two operating theatres and medical records, some of which could possibly be salvaged, Park said.
She also assured that the clean-up effort is 80 per cent complete.
“The inpatient wards are cleaned and cleaning of the interior of other sections should be completed soon. We are moving along with our recovery,” Park said.
She said the out-patient clinic, functioning from Guyana Red Cross Society (GRCS) headquarters, at Eve Leary, also in the city, is seeing a steady flow of persons seeking treatment.
Park expressed her appreciation for the support from benefactors like GRCS across the country and in the diaspora.
“We have received significant support. Locally, we received cleaning supplies as well as other forms of assistance. Our stakeholders overseas, too, have been supportive,” she added.
Park thanked St. Joseph staffers for remaining committed to the institution and said all of them have been accommodated while provisions are being made for some of the private doctors practising at the hospital to continue from within the compound and others are working out of the GRCS building.
She said a list of needs is being compiled as one of the steps being taken to ensure that St. Joseph returns to its regular functional capacity.