Two of the COVID-19 screening tents set up at the various entrances of the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) have been converted into triage centres as part of ongoing efforts to protect both patients and staff.
Director of Medical and Professional Services Dr. Fawcett Jeffrey revealed during an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI) on Friday that the screening points initially located at Lamaha Street, East Street, New Market (North), New Market (South) and Middle Street were meant to be temporary. However, as the months passed and it became clear that the COVID-19 was not going away, the GPH decided to construct permanent structures to make not only screening possible but triaging as well.
“We have a triage centre in East Street. A patient who comes to the hospital who has symptoms of COVID-19 is not allowed in the institution. That patient is triaged and if necessary, even swabbed. We also have a triage centre in Middle Street, where if you are going to the Medical Outpatient Department, you are screened and if needed, you are triaged there,” Jeffrey said before adding that the centre facilities serve as primary monitoring areas for everyone entering different parts of the facility, whether patient, visitor or staff.
In addition, Jeffrey stated that the GPH currently has the only Infectious Diseases Intensive Care Unit in the country and added that even before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic the hospital’s management had identified an area in the hospital where they would accommodate critically ill patients.
He added that they trained all staff members, including drivers, laboratories technicians, nurses and doctors to take of COVID-19 patients who in turn travelled to the various regions to train staff members of the regional hospitals.
