Deyalsingh: Most health centres open Wednesday

Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh has said most of the Regional Health Authorities’(RHAs) health facilities reopened on Wednesday after Tuesday’s potential tropical cyclone warning, which led to the early closing of government offices and non-emergency health facilities.

Deyalsingh was speaking during the ministry’s weekly media briefing on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the Met Office warned of the possibility of being affected by the PTC. The storm, however, missed Trinidad and Tobago and was projected to affect Grenada.

As a result of the warning, businesses, including government offices, closed early. A media release from the ministry on Tuesday said from noon, non-essential services such as outpatient clinics would be suspended.

But all Accident and Emergency Departments, inpatient services, and emergency ambulance services stayed open.

On Wednesday, Deyalsingh said all health centres under the Southwest Regional Health Authority resumed on Wednesday except the Rochard Douglas health centre, as the access road to it was flooded.

The Northwest Regional Health Authority, he said, had to dismantle tents on Tuesday in preparation for the storm to avoid damage to surrounding property.

“We are working today to put back up everything. Normal services will resume (on Thursday), including vaccination sites.”

He said all centres under the Eastern Regional Health Authority resumed on Wednesday.

In the North Central region, clinic health centres have reopened, buthospital clinics will reopen on Thursday, as officials needed time to put back the tents.

Deyalsingh said all vaccination sites reopened as usual.

He also said the two mass-vaccination sites – UTT Campus, Monroe Road and the Larry Gomes Stadium, Arima – will no longer be open to the public.

This was because the UTT needed the space to resume its face--to-face classes and the stadium will return to SporTT to resume sporting activities.