Deyalsingh: Pt Fortin Hospital up and running by month-end

Residents of Point Fortin and nearby villages, as well as medical staff, were happy to hear the new $1.2 billion Point Fortin Hospital will be in use by the end of the month.

Its predecessor, on Volunteer Road, Mahaica, had 39 beds. Built by Shell in the 1930s as a hospital for its employees, it was donated to the government in 1967.

In more recent years, staff and residents have complained about many issues including staff shortages, dilapidated infrastructure, machines continually being out of service, and snake and pigeon infestations.

Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said at the PNM's virtual campaign meeting on Tuesday night that the new hospital would open this month.

The new facility (at the corner of Techier and the Point Fortin Main Road) has 100 beds and more advanced technology. It will offers services including general medicine, general surgery, a burns unit, psychiatry, paediatric/adolescence, high dependency and accident and emergency.

Other services will include: general x-ray, CT scans, general ultrasound, mammography, laboratory services and endoscopy. Patients previously had to go to the San Fernando General Hospital for CT scans and x-rays, among other things.

Construction began in 2015 and was initially set to be complete by September 2019, but there were several delays.

One nurse told Newsday she “feels good” the hospital is finally complete.

“We would have more to work with in terms of staff and equipment. It may also take away from the amount of transfers done daily, which depletes the already limited staff.”

An emergency response nurse said, “I think the new move is a positive one and I look forward to great things happening in the new hospital. All I’m hopeful for is that they would really find the amount of staff necessary for this move so everything will be successful and we’d have a well-functioning hospital.”

A medical orderly said seeing such a “long-awaited project” being completed makes him “extremely excited.”

Residents of Point Fortin and environs tuned in to the live stream of the opening ceremony and expressed their excitement on social media. Some also shared their views on the old building.

Mark Gopaul said, “Service (was) slow most times and the general aura (of the old hospital) is a sickly feeling. I can only hope the service improves in hopes also that the new infrastructure provides for this, and the environment is more welcoming and friendly and is maintained that way.

Another commenter said, “I’m glad we’re getting a new one. When I got sick or the time I broke my arm, they would take hours to tend to me only to send me to San Fernando. Hopefully, this will save a lot of people’s time.”

Former Point Fortin MP Edmund Dillon said most of the complaints he had received about the old building were about its condition.

“There have been some little refurbishment and so on from time to time, but it’s basically the same building that was given to us (in 1967). It was lacking in terms of facilities, equipment, staffing. Most of the times you go there, they’d send you to San Fernando one time.”

He said he is “very happy” to see such major developments in his hometown.