Health Centers to close at midday as Isaac approaches

Dr. Lynora Fevrier- Drigo of the Ministry of Health has announced that Health Centres on the island will suspend routine care from 12:00 PM today as the island monitors the progress of Tropical Storm Isaac.

She made the announcement while addressing a press briefing on Tuesday as the storm churned closer to the island.

“Health Centres will suspend routine care from Wednesday 12th and that includes all our pharmacies, so if you have to collect medication you need to do that before 12:00 pm,” she said.

Dr. Drigo stated, however, staff will be available at the Health Centres to provide emergency medical care.

She encouraged residents to collect all essential medicines, “and that will include everything you need for your NCD’s, the asthmatics you collect your medication.”

Dr. Drigo also encouraged persons to look out for the elderly and children who are the most vulnerable in the communities.

“If you know there is an elderly in your community who is living alone and has no one to take care of them after you secure yourself please ensure that these persons in your community you look out for them,” she urged. “We are our brother’s keeper.”

Meantime, she mentioned that nurses who work from the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) will be reassigned to the communities where they live.

“Nurses have been reassigned and told of their reassignment.  So we do not expect if you live in Portsmouth and you work at the Princess Margaret Hospital that you will travel from Portsmouth to the Princess Margaret Hospital,” Dr. Drigo remarked.

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8 Comments

  1. Issac
    September 12, 2018

    Some of allu real stupid and ignorant. It wouldn’t kill you if you go re read the article since you clearly didnt understand the first time upon reading. Smh.

  2. Rn
    September 12, 2018

    I marvel at some of these comments. Do you know the extent of work done by nurses in health centers? Well let me tell you they work in the day and take calls in the night then again report to work next day. Is asking them to close the health centets and go secure their homes and families too much? After all they are still on call and still have to report out if called. People, please have a heart! Nurses are real people with real families that deserve real time to ensure that they are safe. Should the nurses take up residency at the health centers during the storm so that they can take care of everyone while their children are left at home without their mother? Think on these things. We want to serve, and we do serve but we already sacrice enough; do not ask us to sacrifice our families too.

  3. Health Centers Closed
    September 12, 2018

    @SMH that’s because this announcement should not have been made period. Every body knows it’s a storm and people should stay home. If the ministry of health wanted to make an announcement it should have been one of increased health care. When the Dr. telling the nation “that nurses who work from the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) will be reassigned to the communities where they live” and used Portsmouth as example, is that not to suggest a reduced health care? Yes what about nurses in the country area that don’t reside in the villages? But also, the headline of this article reads: “Health Centers to close at midday as Isaac approaches” with a bIG CLOSED sign hanging. Sometimes people are busy and all they saw at a glance is the headline

  4. Smh
    September 12, 2018

    It seems some of you did not read the same article I read. The doctor clearly stated that health centres will be closed for routine medical care but staff will be available for emergency cases. Hence it means that patients should not show up for their monthly visits or to refill their prescriptions, etc. From the noted time until further notice only emergency cases will be dealt with. How hard is that to understand. No one said the health centres will be completely shutdown…only routine services will be affected. Some of you all are just impossible. The ministry of health makes perfect sense with this move as it seems they are focused on triage in the event the storm leaves people wounded.

  5. Marigot hospital
    September 12, 2018

    Only yesterday afternoon the PM said Gov’t going “full force” “full throttle” to prepare Dominica for Isaac and first thing the doing is close down health centers at 12 noon? Now I would understand if they said they would only deal with fresh wounds or emergencies; but to announce Health Centers closed is madness. Are they sending people to die? In a storm I expected a government to say all health centers will be open 24/7 to deal with any emergencies, which would mean a call up of backup nurses, as security for nurses a police officer placed in every health center and a backup generator. That’s what I would expect from a caring government that’s going “full force” and “full throttle” not just to prepare for a storm but to protect lives. Never would I expect to hear the closure of health center.

  6. Health Centers closed
    September 12, 2018

    OMG a storm is approaching and government has already taken a decision to close down heath centers? But what I hearing there nou? So they took a decision to close down police stations too man? They are so confused in one breath they saying health centers will be closed at 12Pm but in the other breath nurses that work at the PMH will be reassigned to their communities where they live. So confusing. So does that apply to health centers in the country are as well? So they will be closed at 12 noon and say a nurse is from La Plaine but serves as district nurse for Castle Bruce she is to be reassigned to La Plane, while Castle Bruce health Center is closed. What about all of the nurses that are from the country but reside in Roseau? Boy this announcement makes no sense because during an emergency the government should ensure that ALL: health centers are safe and opened to the public. Closing health centers is their way of denying people service during an emergency and sending people to die

    • Liz M
      September 12, 2018

      That’s simple to understand, just ‘read’ it again. Time spent reading over will not be deducted from the rest of your life, we promise.

  7. Badbaje
    September 12, 2018

    Great news. Thank you so very much.

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