-frequency of spraying to be increased
By Subhana Shiwmangal
Region Three’s Regional Health Officer, Dr. Erica Forte says that measures are being put in place to combat a rat infestation at the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH), inclusive of increasing the frequency of the hospital’s scheduled sanitisation.
There was also an issue in relation to a stench in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the WDRH and this was traced to a dead pigeon in the ceiling.
Dr. Forte said that the pigeon was removed from the ceiling by a contractor. Prior to this, the NICU was relocated to the post-natal ward on the ground floor of the hospital. The hospital, she said, is having another exterminator come in again to deodorize the unit and restore the ward to normalcy.
The WDRH came under scrutiny on May 24th after images were posted on social media showing rats in a bed with a sleeping patient. There were immediate concerns about the health threat posed by the infestation.
Dr. Forte on Monday told Stabroek News that each hospital department has its own head who reports immediately whenever there is an issue. Similarly, Thursday night (May 23) she received a call from the facility manager who informed her that nurses in the Female Surgical Ward were complaining about rats in the ward. She said she immediately gave the go ahead for them to call in the exterminator which was done.
She relayed that when the video was posted on the morning of May 24th on social media of rats running on a bed with a sleeping patient in the female surgical ward, she had already ensured that the exterminator had come in that morning to sanitise the ward. However, the same morning, at around 10 am, she received another complaint from nurses about a foul smell coming from the ceiling of the NICU.
She added that the thought among staff was that, “a rat died up there.” The exterminator, who was scheduled for a revisit, arrived and tried to access the ceiling in the NICU but was unable to at the time since the ceiling was enclosed and there was no entry point. That same day, in the afternoon, she had a team move the NICU to the Post Natal ward, as there was no baby in a critical condition at the time while contact was made with a contractor to visit the ward.
Early on May 25th the contractor arrived and an entry point was made in the ceiling and a dead pigeon was removed. She noted that no dead rat was seen nor was there evidence of rats in the ceiling. It was noted that the pigeon seemed to have gained entry from a small hole in the mesh. Dr. Forte said that that there is still a slight odour in the unit and the exterminator was expected to return to deodorize the ward. Until the scent fades, the staff of the NICU and one baby that was in the unit will remain on the ground floor.
Dr. Forte refuted comments posted on social media about the conditions that staff work under and said that as soon as the hospital was made aware of the situation, the administration worked immediately to have the problem dealt with and this is not something that usually occurs.
Dr. Forte explained that the last sanitising of the hospital was in February and the next was scheduled for May. The hospital, she said, is up to date in terms of all scheduled maintenance. She said that she recently received permission from the Minister of Health to increase the frequency of sanitising especially during the current rainy season. She added that, “It is not something that has been happening for a long time.”
Also, she said, “I personally visited the ward and asked the nurses about the rats and they said there were rats but it wasn’t a big issue. It’s just that they noticed that just after the rain, this started happening. Only (the) Female Surgical (ward) complained about it. We addressed it as soon as I received the complaint.”
