Jamaica’s Ministry of Health to add 184 COVID-19 hospital beds
/ Our Today
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Plans are under way for 184 COVID-19 hospital beds to be added to the healthcare system.
According to Jamaica’s Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton, who was speaking at Monday evening’s press briefing at Jamaica House, the new beds will add to the 716 that are currently operational.
Tufton said Spanish Town Hospital in St Catherine will get 30 additional beds, Falmouth Hospital 32 and at St Joseph’s Hospital, two facilities will be constructed with each having a 40-bed capacity. These will be field hospitals.
“We are preparing, should we require additional capacity. Nevertheless, we hope that we don’t, but we are taking the necessary precautions.”
Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton
He stated that the Ministry of Health and Wellness believes that all the indications are that there will be a COVID-19 spike shortly and the additional beds are expected to alleviate problems that may arise.
“We are preparing, should we require additional capacity. Nevertheless, we hope that we don’t, but we are taking the necessary precautions,” he said.
Meanwhile, according to Tufton, two of the island’s 24 hospitals are currently in the red alert zone while another two are in the amber alert zone. He said seven more hospitals are nearing the red alert zone and another four are almost at the amber alert zone.
The red alert zone is designated when a hospital is at 84 per cent and over capacity and the amber alert is 74 per cent and over.
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