Critical care COVID-19 patients have yet to be moved to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Liliendaal Infectious Disease Hospital as works are continuing on the facility.
Just over a week ago, Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony had said that the government was hoping to operationalise the ICU at the hospital by late last week. However, no patients have been transferred yet.
Following an enquiry by Stabroek News, Health Ministry spokesperson Daniel Singh revealed that final works are still ongoing at the facility.
Singh said that 24 patients are at the facility. They are not critical care patients; they are considered patients who only require moderate care and account for some of the patients that are currently in institutional isolation.
When asked about some of the technicalities that are involved in moving the critical care patients from the Georgetown Public Hospi-tal Corporation’s COVID-19 ICU to the Liliendaal facility, Singh said that some protocols have to be followed, including having ambulances ready to meet the medical needs of the patient.
Singh told Stabroek News that apart from that, the patient would have to be in stable enough condition to be able to be transported to the facility at Liliendaal. “[A] patient also has to be stable enough to be capable of being transferred to the facility or any other [facility],” Singh added.
Previously, Anthony said that some 25 beds would be prepared at the Liliendaal facility’s ICU with additional beds in the facility’s theatre and theatre recovery units. Further, the minister noted that some of the equipment at the Georgetown Hospital’s ICU is expected to be moved across to the Liliendaal facility to cater to those patients who are moved there.
