The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) is commemorating the third anniversary of the Ocean View Infectious Diseases Hospital, located in Liliendaal which according to a release yesterday, “has played a pivotal role in Guyana’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the care of infectious disease patients.”
The release noted that in March 2020, Guyana experienced its first case of COVID-19, a moment that brought both uncertainty and resolve. It also marked the country’s first recorded COVID-19 fatality, prompting the GPHC to embark on an “unprecedented journey” to prepare for the challenges that lay ahead.
The hospital’s preparations in January 2020 were a “mere glimpse” of the reality that awaited. Due to the infectious nature of COVID-19, a provisional 14-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU) was established to cater to critically ill patients. To accommodate this, several hospital departments had to be temporarily closed, highlighting the hospital’s commitment to addressing the pandemic’s demands.
As cases continued to surge, preparations were made to convert the Ocean View hotel into a dedicated COVID-19 hospital, marking a transformative moment in the battle against the virus. On September 1, 2020, the first group of stable COVID-19 patients, initially maternity patients, were transferred to the Ocean View Infectious Diseases Hospital.
According to the GPHC, the ICU capacity at this facility catered for 28 beds and then 38 beds, accommodating critical patients requiring ventilation. Additionally, the facility also housed moderately ill patients while also providing essential services such as dialysis, surgical interventions (including C-sections for pregnant mothers, trauma, and paediatric surgeries), physiotherapy, and physiological support for COVID-19 patients.
However, this response was not without its challenges with one such issue being a matter of staffing. To address this situation, GPHC recounted that it acquired medical staff from its own ranks, the Ministry of Health, and other regions like Linden to work as frontline healthcare providers. Other measures included decontamination stations set up within the hospital to ensure staff safety, and the provision of housing and transportation for those of the staff faced with public transportation issues due to virus-related fears.
While it recognises that COVID-19 is no longer considered a pandemic, the Ocean View Infectious Diseases Hospital continues to care for a limited number of COVID-19 patients, as well as patients with other infectious diseases such as monkeypox, tuberculosis, MRSA, along with GPHC lodgers.
Since its inception in 2020, the facility has served 4,448 patients, with a peak of 112 hospitalised COVID-19 patients at one time. While over the years, approximately 50 medical staff members have served the public “tirelessly.”
As such, the GPHC “acknowledges and extends its deepest gratitude to all frontline workers, staff, and partners who have made the Ocean View Infectious Diseases Hospital a symbol of resilience and hope in the face of adversity,” the release added.
