Israeli medical team helping to ease patient load at Mandeville, St. Ann's Bay hospitals

 

The Minister of Health is reporting that surgeries and patients waiting at the accident and emergency section of the Mandeville and St. Ann's Bay Regional hospitals have been reduced with the help of medical experts from Israel.

 

The 30 medical professionals arrived in Jamaica to assist with the provision of healthcare following the passage of Hurricane Melissa. 

 

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie says the Israeli team integrated well with local professionals in the delivery of healthcare. 

 

"The local team has learned from them. They have learned from the local team. They have helped to decrease the number of patients waiting in the Accident and Emergency Department. They have helped to allow more surgeries to be done, and they have really worked to really make things a lot better for these two hospitals. So I think that this mission has been a success," she highlighted.

 

Dr. Bisasor-McKenzie said team spirit has been boosted at Mandeville and St. Ann's Bay regional hospitals following the injection of medical missions from international partners.

 

"This team was placed at Mandeville Regional and at St. Ann's Bay Regional Hospital - the two hospitals that were right on the periphery of the disaster zone. When I went to Mandeville, it was just bursting. When I came here, the Accident and Emergency Department was full and I knew that they were trying to transfer patients out of Falmouth into St. Ann's Bay. So if we did nothing to help these hospitals, then the staff would have become very weary and overwhelmed very, very easily. And so this effort really has helped them to be able to manage the patient's load and to really boost staff morale," she stressed.