TEN YEARS after the operating theatre at the Port Maria Hospital was first closed, surgeries are still not being performed and there are new demands to make it functional again.
Owen Belvett, regional director of the North East Regional Health Authority, is urging the Custos of St. Mary, A.A. 'Bobby' Pottinger, and a specially-appointed committee to proceed with the feasibility study that is needed to secure funding from the Health Ministry to have the hospital repaired.
"They've been at it for a year and a half," he said."
"The government has offered assistance, but the project has not moved along very far. That is unfortunate, because a feasibility study is recommended to determine how we move forward. Doctors are available and they are willing to work at the hospital providing the government put it back together; we are asking them to get the study done so we can move on."
He was responding to comments made in a letter to Health Minister John Junor by Barry Wahrmann, vice-chairman of the National Democratic Movement's St. Mary Parish Committee, who charged that the hospital's poor infrastructure and service had caused the Custos, who was injured in a motor vehicle accident on August 20, to seek care elsewhere.
"On seeing the condition at the facility and the absence of good health care, a decision was taken immediately to transfer him to the St Ann's Bay Hospital approximately 30 miles away," the letter said.
It claimed that there was no senior medical officer at Port Maria hospital, that interns were in charge, that no surgery was being done, no anaesthetists were there, no X-ray being done, that men and women occupied the traditional female ward and the area constructed for males was serving as maternity and children's ward.
But Mr. Belvitt denounced the claims as being untrue.
"Records show that Mr. Pottinger arrived at the Port Maria hospital at about 12:15 p.m.," he said. "He was examined immediately by the doctor on duty who is not an intern but a licensed medical practitioner. There are no interns at the hospital. He was examined and after complaining of abdominal pains, he was treated, examined, assessed, stabilised and transferred in our ambulance to the St. Ann's Bay Hospital.
He said that there was no need for surgeons at Port Maria Hospital because the hospital does not have an operating theatre.
"This is not new," he said, "no surgery requiring general anaesthetic is done there, because Annotto Bay hospital and St. Ann's Bay Hospital on either side provide that level of service and have the infrastructure available. If you are not going to perform surgery, you don't need to have anaesthetists."
Mr. Belvitt admitted that the X-ray machine was down.
"We have ordered a new X-ray table that should be in the country by the end of September, so we intend to do X- rays there we actually don't have the staff right now but we are seeking to get the staff as well."
He said the Port Maria Hospital served its purpose, providing a health centre, a pharmacy, 24-hour emergency service, where doctors are always busy.
