By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

With COVID-19 cases declining and hospital rates down, Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville said the issue with Princess Margaret Hospital’s bed space is seeing “some relief”.

The minister told The Tribune the new administration and those at the Ministry of Health and Wellness are “taking the inventory and beginning to look at areas” they can improve in the short-term while developing a strategy for the long-term.

“Now that the pandemic numbers are going down and the hospitalisation as a result of COVID is going down, there is bed space. The challenges we have with the PMH are many, but with the pandemic and hospitalisations down, that major issue that we had with the PMH with bed space - we’re seeing some relief.

“With that being said we still have to make ways to improve what is available at the PMH and prepare ourselves for the possibility of another wave that might come our way for COVID-19. So work is ongoing,” he explained.

He noted his team toured the morgue and “we realised that there are some immediate needs in that location”.

“We need to do some immediate work there. The scope of work is completed and hopefully within a week, maximum two, we would award a contract to begin to start that work.

“The area is run down. We have some mechanical, an air-conditioner as well as an airflow situation that needs to be worked out by mechanical engineers and then as you go to the back of the morgue we didn’t think it was presentable and so there’s a plan to clean up the space.”

As for the issues with bodies at the morgue, the minister added: “A plan was put in place to move quickly to have a lot of the remains of loved ones moved in a more organised and rapid fashion. To my understanding, some of that is being done.”

A press conference had been organised earlier this month to address recent reports of maternity deaths, standard operating procedures, threats to staff and staff fatigue at PMH. However, it was postponed to a later date.

Dr Darville admitted a press conference was in the works from the Public Hospitals Authority to address the maternity ward, the children’s ward and some of the concerns private citizens had in the delivery of those services.

“We’ve decided to, first of all, speak directly to those who have been impacted to listen to their complaints while this independent study is going on. The information that we will receive from those individuals will prove to be beneficial on the way forward how we conduct our affairs at the Princess Margaret Hospital and to ensure that customer (satisfaction) is achieved,” he said.

Fourteen new cases of COVID-19 were recorded on Sunday, bringing the nation’s toll to 22,601. Officials said 47 people are in hospital with the virus.