MINISTER of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, has said that the government is further developing the country’s capacity to cater for the hospitalisation and isolation of COVID-19 patients across the regions.

During Wednesday’s COVID-19 update, Dr. Anthony related that regional hospitals are equipped to properly facilitate care of COVID-19 patients.

The Infectious Diseases Hospital at Liliendaal, Region Four, remains the central facility to house persons who require hospitalisation, and has an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with the capacity to house 59 persons.

“In Region One, we have a section of the Mabaruma Hospital that can accommodate COVID-19 patients. We also have at Port Kaituma, a section of that hospital that is dedicated to COVID-19 patients. That’s where over the last several months, we have been isolating COVID-19 patients. We also have sections of the Kumaka Hospital in Region One where we can do that type of isolation as well,” Dr. Anthony said.

The government also refurbished the Suddie Regional Hospital in Region Two, adding ventilators and oxygen supplies.

He related: “We have extended the COVID-19 isolation centre for the West Demerara Regional Hospital because as you see currently, we have a number of cases in Region Three, and we want to make sure we have the right capacity to take care of those patients.”

The West Demerara Regional Hospital could now accommodate 50 COVID-19 patients, and with its proximity to Region Four, critical patients could be transported easily to the Infectious Diseases Hospital.

In Region Five, works are ongoing at the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital to create an ICU space, while at the Experiment Health Centre, one of the buildings has been repurposed to cater solely to COVID-19 patients.

Similarly, at the Linden Hospital Complex, Mahdia and Bartica Hospitals, there have been upgrades to cater for COVID-19 patients. Only recently, the government commissioned a six-bed ICU at the Lethem Hospital.

With the infrastructure being put in place, Minister Anthony is also championing the government’s vaccination campaign.

He said that the spread of COVID-19 has decreased in workplaces, as more staff are being vaccinated.

“If the workplace is adhering to the COVID-19 measures, which means that people would have to keep social distance, sanitise their hands, wear their masks, then you will have a reduction in cases as I aforesaid, if they are fully vaccinated. So, if people observe these requirements, then the cases will be far less,” Dr. Anthony said. (DPI)