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‘We have sufficient capacity,’ says Tufton as he dispels COVID-19 bed rumours

Minister of Health and Wellness Christopher Tufton on Sunday (August 23) said that there was a sufficient  number of beds within the public hospital system to accommodate COVID-19 patients.

Tufton made the revelation as he addressed rumours of  bed shortages for those requiring hospitalisation due to COVID-19.

“We still have sufficient capacity to deal with additional cases that require hospitalisation, I think that is important to be made very clear,” said Tufton.

Speaking at an unusual Sunday evening press briefing, Tufton revealed that the ministry had set aside 315 beds for COVID-19 patients, of which only 25 percent were occupied.

He further said that the greatest number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals were currently occupying beds at the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) and the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI).

“So seventy-three (73) of the three-hundred and fifteen (315) beds would represent about 25% or thereabouts of the COVID beds, across the public health system, are in fact occupied,” said Tufton.

“Now, it does show an increase in the number of beds being occupied. But it’s certainly far away from any assumption, our perception that the COVID wards or COVID beds, which essentially are isolation areas,have been exhausted,” added Tufton.

 

 

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