Agatha: Improved service at hospital emergency room

Health Secretary Dr Agatha Carrington has reported a steady improvement in the wait times at the Scarborough General Hospital’s Emergency room.

Carrington, speaking at last Wednesday’s post Executive Council media briefing, also reported on plans to build a new hospital in Tobago east.

On wait times at the hospital, she said patients are being attended to more quickly as a result of a redesigned service.

“The areas have been challenged over time in terms of the long wait time our clients face. In the past week, we have redesigned the service and so we now have categories four and five, those non-emergency cases are now managed separately, and the emergency cases are managed in the trauma area, resulting in a reduction in the wait time.

“We look forward to measuring those results but from the anecdotal data that we are seeing and the comments from our clients, there has been positive feedback in terms of those improvements,” she said.

On the new hospital for Tobago east, she said a team from Udecott (Urban Development Company of Trinidad and Tobago) along with Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley visited the site for the new Roxborough Hospital.

“The RFP is now out for the design, build and equip model, that is what we’re using. The expectation is that we would commence this project by 1st June,” she said.

She also recalled that the sod was turned in August 2018 for the Moriah Health Centre, and that “those works are expected to commence shortly… we mentioned that this facility would cost us $28 million to be delivered in 18 months.”

Carrington also said the fleet at the Public Health Division has been improved with the addition of nine vehicles, and noted yet another - a cesspool tanker.

“The cesspool tanker would support our efforts to improve the efficient disposal of liquid waste and so that has been added at the cost of $750,000. It is a most useful piece of equipment as we seek to improve our public health response to our population, ensuring that they are much more equipped,” she said.