Bridgetown.
Abandon patients a the Queen Elizabet Hospital (QEH) are ceating headaces for the officials at the island major health institution.
Chief Exceutive Officer of the QEH Dr Dexter James and other senior members of the hospital's executive team, told a media conference yesterday more than 50 people were still at the hospital even though they were fit to be discharge because their family had abandoned them.
This not only increased their risk of contracting hospital infections such as bed sores but placed a burden on the hospital to deliver services, James pointed out.
He made a public appeal for help from social organizations, district hospitals and family members to help the QEH solve the problem.
James said "bed blocking" which was a result of some people leaving their elderly relatives for the to take care of was the main problem
He said beds were being ocuppied by patients who no longer needed hospital care, a development with long reaching negative effects of the QEH's operations.
"A mass casualty crisis is a condition in which the number of patients overwhelms resources we can provide undernormal conditions", James explained.
"As of today, we have seven male patients in the Accident &Emergency (A&E) department classified as elderly for care (patients who do not need hospitalization) and we have 13 patients awaiting admissions from A&E to a ward. Needless to say, if patients present emerency conditions, the A&E will find it very difficult to find beds to examine these patients", James said.
Head of the A&E, Dr Chaynie Williams said the department was a 24 bed unit, so the 20 people referred to not only slowed down their operations but disadvantaged patients as well.
"The A&E department is not suited for patients on a long stay basis. There are noises smells and uncomfortable beds and it is not fair for them to be in such an environment for a long time", Williams said.
