GPHC overwhelmed with high influx of COVID-19 cases

Oct 19, 2020 News

– ‘Ocean View’ hospital being used to ease burden

Kaieteur News – The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) is continuing to struggle to find more beds, especially with the influx of new COVID-19 cases recently.
The COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) which caters for patients with severe symptoms has been rammed to capacity in the past few weeks, officials say.
The GPHC, as the country’s biggest public hospital, had to facilitate continuous transfers of patients to the Infectious Disease Hospital at Liliendaal East Coast Demerara, better known as the Ocean View COVID-19 Hospital- to ease some of the burden and overcrowding.

The works ongoing in the ICU of the ‘Ocean View’ hospital.

Once a patient who was once a critical care patient in GPHC’s COVID-19 ICU no longer requires critical care, meaning they still have the virus with lessened symptoms, they are transferred to the Ocean View facility where they are monitored.
While at the facility, the patients still receive the necessary care and once it is found that a patient develops severe symptoms again and needs critical care, they are transferred back to GPHC’s COVID-19 ICU for treatment.
The official also said that works are being done at the Ocean View facility to bolster the care of more COVID-19 patients and which will take some of the pressure off of the GPHC.
Kaieteur News understands that the ‘Ocean View’ hospital could not be used to facilitate patients in need of critical care since its ICU is not functional.
It was previously stated that the facility had no ventilators and there was also work being done on the air systems.
Despite this, Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, who recently conducted a site visit and inspection of the facility, assured that the facility will be fully functional soon.
He disclosed that the ICU is a top priority among the works ongoing and it will have the necessary equipment when ready.
It was highlighted that Guyana would’ve received a significant number of ventilators from the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) and the Indian government, which is enough to supply both the GPHC and the ‘Ocean View’ hospital.
Ventilators will also be distributed to regional hospitals for their critical care patients according to the Minister.
Presently, steel pipes for oxygen systems and other medical gases are being installed in the ICU and, upon its completion, it will be able to facilitate 27 patients at once, at ‘Ocean View’ hospital.
Also present at the site visit was the Director of Medical and Professional Services at the GPHC, Dr. Fawcett Jeffrey, who contended that an ICU is imperative in the management of COVID-19. He noted that the GPHC only has a 14-bed ICU and it is overwhelmed since the hospital caters for both COVID-19 patients and patients with other health conditions.
There are currently 14 persons in the COVID-19 ICU at the GPHC.

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