A structural review of the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Authority physical plant was commissioned last week March 14th following an incident in which debris fell from the one area of the ceiling of the facility. A preliminary assessment prompted the need for immediate remedial reinforcements to a section of the hospital roof.
At this time, we can report that the structural areas of immediate concern have been identified, inspected and temporary measures to address immediate safety concerns have been taken. With the first written report in hand, we know that there are multiple key areas of the hospital that we can no longer utilize until permanent solutions are in place. This of course affects an aray of services vital to the functioning of the KHMH namely Operating theatre, Central Sterilization Unit, Imaging Department, Specifics Clinics, Pharmacy and Dietary Services.
A 25-year-old infrastructure that was never designed to do the work that it was doing prior to Wednesday, March 14, 2018, now has critical injuries. The functioning of the KHMHA has been reduced by a minimum of 50%. There will be no elective cases or admissions during this time. The public will be alerted when we are able to have outpatient clinics and an abbreviated clinic schedule has been prepared. In the meantime, we will continue to do deliveries and Caesarean sections and other serious, life threatening emergencies.
The Accident and Emergency Unit can no longer be flooded with non-emergency cases. All the relevant authorities have been informed of these changes from the inception of the problem last week. The staff of the KHMHA has been working tirelessly:
1. To continue to maintain standards of care for their patients
2. To secure the safety of our patients
3. To curtail, relocate and or redistribute in a manner that reflects safety
The Authority is awaiting a Mexican team of engineers invited by the Ministry of Health to assess the facility. We have been informed that this team specializes in the design and construction of Hospitals.
The KHMHA pleads with the public to take heed of this release and to understand that our capabilities are severely limited and will continue to be so for an immediate amount of time. We will continue to update the public as changes occur.
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