Changes to services at PoS hospital for covid19

TEMPORARY changes to the services at the Port of Spain General Hospital for covid19 have been announced.

These changes take effect Monday until further advised and will affect clinic services, elective surgeries, radiology, prescriptions and accident and emergency, a release from the North West Regional Health Authority said late Sunday night.

The changes are:

CLINIC SERVICES

•For surgical, neurosurgery, orthopaedics, urology, plastics, ENT and ophthalmology (EYES) clinics, patients who recently had surgery and those requiring dressings will be seen. Screening for all other patients will be done over the telephone and they will be contacted to have their clinic appointments rescheduled as needed.

•The medical, neurology, cardiology, gastroenterology, dermatology, nephrology, gynaecology and NICU clinics will be closed. Only urgent cases will be seen. Screening for all other patients will be done over the telephone, they will be contacted to have their clinic appointments rescheduled as needed.

•Haematology clinics for routine visits will be closed. Patients due for chemotherapy, factor 8 therapy and transfusions will keep their appointments as usual.

•Obstetrics patients coming to clinic will be screened prior to entrance into the clinics.

•For echocardiograms, endoscopies and infusion services at endoscopy, screening for appointments will be done by telephone and patients with respiratory symptoms or recent travel will have their appointments rescheduled.

ELECTIVE SURGERIES

General surgery and other surgical subspecialties including ENT/maxillofacial/ eyes:

•Urgent cases already seen by hospital team will be contacted for scheduling.

•Cases already booked for St. James Medical Complex will continue as usual.

RADIOLOGY SERVICES (ultrasounds, CT scans, x-rays)

•Appointments will be prioritised based on urgency.

•Patients with respiratory symptoms and recent travel are advised to call in and rebook their appointments.

PRESCRIPTIONS

•All patients requiring medication refill, whose prescription has expired or due to expire within the next week, can attend their clinics on their designated clinic days and a prescription re-write will be facilitated.

•However, patients who have respiratory symptoms and also persons over the age of 60 should not come to the hospital clinics, but instead have a relative come with their national identification card, their clinic cards and expiring prescription, to have the refill organised.

•All patients presenting with fever and respiratory symptoms such as cough and shortness of breath, will be screened in a separate area, outside the Accident and Emergency Department.

•Patients with fever and mild respiratory symptoms and recent travel or contact with a confirmed covid19 positive case are advised to contact their district health centres for advice, prior to showing up at a health facility.

Anyone needing further information has been advised to contact the Port of Spain General Hospital at 285-8989.