00:00The Ministry of Health says current data indicate that accident and emergency departments at both the Chaguanas and Kuba District health facilities continue to operate within normal patient volumes, with no unusual increase in the number of persons accessing care.
00:16As it relates to Tobago, which announced on Tuesday that the Scarborough General Hospital had activated emergency mode for 48 hours, the Ministry notes that the TRHA reported the move was, quote, due to a surge in patient admissions and capacity constraints across medical and surgical wards, end quote.
00:36And for the notes, there is no single factor responsible for the recent uptick in admissions.
00:43The Ministry says it remains in close communication with the relevant regional health authorities to ensure the continued delivery of timely and effective care across all facilities.
00:53However, amid reports to the contrary in the public domain, TV6 News reached out to an official at the NCRHA who indicated that there has been a surge in admissions due to persons seeking treatment for non-communicable diseases, such as high blood pressure and heart problems.
01:11The official suggests that some segments of the population appear to have come under undue stress in recent times, perhaps due to job losses and the like.
01:21Contacted for comment, President of the National Nurses Association, Iddy Stewart said, while he could not confirm the claims with respect to an increase in admissions at any particular facility, he is of the view that this is almost always the case at Mount Hope Hospital.
01:38So we welcome that position by Tobago and the Secretary for Health.
01:44It is totally different from what we see in the RHAs in Trinidad, where they fully well know the wards are completely filled, medical and physical wards are completely filled.
02:00They are struggling for bed space, overwhelmed with capacity and no statement is coming out to let the public know that this is the challenge they are having.
02:10Let the public know we are at max capacity, it's emergency mode, taking necessary steps, call out additional staff, but it is just as no business as usual within the RHAs.
02:24The association says the RHAs need to be more transparent.
02:27Just as the Ministry of Health is saying, there is no unusual occurrence, but put out the figures so persons can see for themselves.
02:35It is very difficult, even at the association level, to try to gather information from these RHAs as to what is their current capacity.
02:47If it is overwhelmed, if it is underwhelmed, it is very difficult to get that type of information.
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