85.6% of patients who passed through COVID hospital survived
Since being in operation for a year, the Infectious Diseases Hospital at Liliendaal has served as Guyana’s main healthcare facility tackling the country’s COVID-19 cases.
And from a total of 2,336 patients who received care at the facility, 85.6% or 2,001 have fully recovered from the virus, Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony reported on Wednesday.
He was at the time addressing the media at a press conference in celebration of the hospital’s one-year anniversary; he pointed out the facility has made strides since being opened.
Dr Anthony explained that the idea for the speciality hospital was conceptualised when Guyana recorded the very first case of COVID-19 in March 2020 and the former APNU+AFC government immediately initiated plans in anticipation of the COVID-19 cases Guyana would have and by April that year construction commenced.
But the opening of the hospital was delayed due to shoddy construction work and the fact that it was not retrofitted with the needed equipment. When the new administration came into office, plans moved quickly and by September the facility was already housing COVID-positive patients.
“The fact that we were able to put the first patient in this facility speaks volumes of the hard work, the tireless work of the staff at the Georgetown Public Hospital, the nursing staff and the entire team,” the Health Minister commented.
The hospital was initially expected to house 197 patients but today has the capacity to house 204 patients.
In the COVID Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Dr. Anthony reported that 281 patients would have succumbed to the virus. Overall, 335 patients would have died at the facility. These numbers, according to the Health Minister, are “relatively low” when compared to similar facilities across the world.
Head of the facility Dr. Tracy Bovell deemed the celebration “bittersweet” as lives were lost but yet the hospital still managed to nurse more than 2,000 patients back to health.
“We have had some challenges – we had some lives lost, loved ones and staff members – but we have had good outcomes as well and on this anniversary, we are looking ahead and seeing our way forward,” Dr. Bovell remarked.
She applauded the support from the government in ensuring that the facility has the needed supplies and asked that it continues since the country is now facing a deadlier third wave of the virus.
With this new wave, an influx of cases is expected and Dr. Bovell, like the Health Minister, implored persons to get vaccinated against the virus.
The government’s vaccination campaign still continues with persons being able to access vaccination sites all across the country to get inoculated.