President of Dominica, His Excellency, Eluid Williams, has lauded the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) for significant improvements made since it opened its doors in 1956.
According to him developments at the institution have been many and he listed growth in a number of areas including increases in local specialists, medical officers, consultants, nurses, ward aids, and support staff, as a major step forward.
During a visit to the facility on Friday, the president also noted that there have been improvements to the Accident and Emergency Unit through better diagnostic equipment.
“Recently PMH received some $1-million from the People’s Republic of China for the purchase of diagnostic equipment to include nebulizers, infusion pumps, foetal heart machines, paediatric ventilators and ECG machines,” he stated.
He pointed to the opening of a new occupational therapy facility on the grounds of the APU in 2011 and an Ambulatory Care Unit, as further improvements at the institution.
However, the president pointed out that there is still much room for improvement. He pointed to the need for greater accountability and the formal recording of critical incidents to afford medical staff, nursing, laboratory staff and others the opportunity to use notes to improve the quality of service.
“There are many who are still requesting additional facilities and further specialist care. I think we forget that PMH was meant to be a secondary health care facility but indeed with the inclusion of several other facilities we are perhaps quickly becoming more of a tertiary level care institution,” the president said.
In his remarks, the president also paid special tribute to Dr. Hendricks Paul and Dr. Kurvin Ferreira for their dedication, professionalism and hardwork at the PMH. According to him, both doctors between themselves have contributed more than 50 years of service to health care at PMH.
Special mention was also made of Dr. Jennifer Elwin and Dr. Hazel Shillingford-Ricketts.
what! from 1956 and that is the state of the hospital?i was there some months ago and what i saw is that they should sue the hospital for certain things.
Thank God for Skerrit. Keep it up pressy
The people of Dominica should especially those who voted this illegal government to ransom for promising them a hospital under the new arrangement with the Chinese which was supposed to be one of the four pillar projects.The four pillar projects were supposed to be completed in 2006!What year are we heading to?Instead he fooled the people and run take loans from the Chinese and give them back the money!
The last time I went home I was in schock to see the condition of the hospital. The entire thing needs to be re built and hope they put air condition. Good grief the heat alone would kill me.
In 2006 I enter the hospital for the first time and my heart hurt to see the state the men section was. I went through to the children ward to see small basin collecting water from a licky roof. On my next visit to Dominica I will have to pay another visit to see the improvements.
Out side of the wards should have better waiting facilities for patient’s visitors to seat not just one bench which provide seats for just 4 people.
sorry Mr. Williams the phy sical appearance of hosp.has declined i was hosp.in the 1960 and that was a hosp.it is now like a cramped cell. the only good thing is the dedicated doctors because of Rossthe govt. should have concentrated on the state of the arts hosp. where we could collaborate and have patients coming here from the other islands.instead millions is being spent on less important projects. No vision’
Wow, what an unpopular president?
What B and S is that. significant improvements? This man don’t know what he is talking about. That death trap? Someone once said, this place is like a roach motel… You go in and you never come out. We need a state-of-the-art hospital here where our people no longer have to go to Trinidad, Barbados, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Cuba and so on for average treatment. But I guess this will never happen under this Labor Party since their main man is satisfied with what we have.
IT’s not Labor, it is the people of Dominica….
who is mister
I wait to hear how GREAT the improvements are at your next visit there, I hope we won’t hear that u are at la maynard in martinique or queen elizabeth in barbados the next time u catch a cold. I mean if it sooo good then it should be good enough for you too… Don’t you think??? By the way the pharmacy could use some diclophenac and diazipam among others… To me all that in the pharmacy is paracetamol, and even that runs out sometimes..
Just thinking about that place and I need a phensic.
DNO please clarify the date of the opening of PMH
these are our boyz ‘ from st. joe . all our boyz ……..keep it op ..who god bless no man curse :thats is where u belong