kevon.felmine@guardian.co.tt
Many people dread visiting the San Fernando General Hospital, as there are horror stories of having to wait more than a day with their ailments before they can get a bed.
However, South-West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA) CEO Dr Brian Armour says 96 per cent of patients who visit the Emergency Department are on a ward within 24 hours. He said this was specifically for patient admission times to an inpatient unit.
It was one of the improvements listed as he addressed the SWRHA’s Public Board Meeting for the 2020-2021 fiscal period at the San Fernando City Hall Auditorium on Thursday. It was the first in-person public board meeting in the last two years as the SWRHA had gone virtual due to COVID-19.
“For the period under review, 96 per cent of patients, who were admitted, were warded within 24 hours,” Armour said.
He said the target is eight hours based on the complexities of the diseases or the number of people seeking care. He said eight hours was acceptable for a person entering an Emergency Department to get to a ward.
Director of Health Dr Pravinde Ramoutar said wait time also depends on triage. A category one patient who needs life-saving attention will get care faster. A category five might be someone who could receive care at a lesser facility. However, there were fewer visits to Emergency Departments.
Chairman Valerie Alleyne-Rawlins reported 170,210 patient visits to five Emergency Departments in 2021, compared with 234,071 in 2020.
“Through the oversight of the board, we have been advised that 96 per cent of patients who were admitted, were warded within 24 hours after arrival,” Alleyne-Rawlins said.
While COVID-19 restrictions affected access to out-patient clinics and elective surgeries, Armour said the SWRHA carried out 57,117 telehealth consultations to track patients’ health.
Armour reported that during fiscal 2020-2021, the SWRHA spent $1.23 billion to deliver services. Personnel emoluments, including salaries and staff benefits, amounted to approximately $931 million, while goods and services amounted to roughly $217 million. COVID-19 expenses cost $87 million. It left the SWRHA with an overall deficit of $97,152,611.
Armour said funds requested under the Public Sector Investment Programme amounted to $52 million. The SWRHA spent 100 per cent of the allocation on medical equipment upgrades, hospital refurbishment and physical investments.
“Continuous improvement leads to quality care and improved outcomes and experiences for our patients and clients. Given our fiscal reality, it is imperative for healthcare to focus on value for money and efficiency to ensure sustainability.”
The SWRHA is the largest of the five regional health authorities and is responsible for providing healthcare services to approximately 600,000 people who reside in a geographical expanse that covers more than a third of Trinidad.
The period represents the first reporting year of the SWRHA’s strategic plan, 2020-2023. Armour said there were silver linings despite the proverbial dark clouds induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. He said the SWRHA made progress on several strategic and operational developments.
Providing some statistics, Armour said staff attended to over 170,000 patient visits to the Emergency Departments, over 120,000 out-patient clinic visits and over 280,000 patient visits at primary healthcare centres. They treated over 48,000 patients admitted to wards, performed over 9,000 surgeries and delivered over 4,400 babies. The SWRHA achieved an average infant immunization rate of 92 per cent, totally or partially dispensing 94 per cent of all prescriptions. It conducted and processed over 1.7 million laboratory tests, over 200,000 radiological images, and over 36,000 physiotherapy sessions. The SWRHA also tended to more than 5,000 patient clinic visits for mental health services.
