And with their new testing booth installed, staff at the KHMH should be a bit more at ease.
But it begs the question, what has their bedside manner been like for suspected COVID cases?
You may remember the allegations made by Maria-Estella Recinos, wife of Patient #4 Hubert Pipersburgh, Recinos who claimed that staff at the Western Regional Hospital delayed her husband's treatment and pretty much left them to fend for themselves in isolation.
There were similar reports this weekend from the family of accident victim Noel Elias Arzu. They claim that his respiratory issues and resulting treatment as a suspect COVID case caused an unnecessary delay in him getting treatment for his inuries. We asked pointedly about this reluctance to treat suspect cases:
Cherisse Halsall:
"What would you say to reports from Central Medical Lab that there have been instances where you guys refused to treat patients until you have results."
Dr. Ronaldo Siu, Head of A&E
"If there is something we would like to have clear on the people is that we would be focusing on COVID that comes along with an emergency issue that we need to deal with. If they're suspected COVID but stable then we have Cleopatra White the testing Center but if they have a medical condition that requires A&E management then we will deal with it."
"Those cases we have the patients on standby we really want to know the result because that will tell us if the patient needs to be admitted to Medical Ward or needs to go to the COVID isolation unit that will determine but it's not that we're not treating the case we're waiting on the case to know where the patient is going."
Casilda Bowman, Manager, Isolation Critical Care Unit
"Every patient that comes in doesn't matter the mode of transportation they are assessed and checked for any symptoms of COVID. It doesn't matter how you come in. We have to test you for first. We have to check you first. Meaning we do it through a triage system where we ask you several questions that meets the case definition and based on that then the nurse decides this patient can come up but it doesn't matter what they still come up with a mask."
"At that point in time the nurse then informs. We have some mechanisms where we have a walkie Talkie that the nurse from here then transmits all the information to the nurses up there and they know what to expect when the patient reaches on the ramp."
Dr. Ronaldo Siu, Head of A&E
"Within A&E we have kind of restructured. We have like 4 rooms whereby we put suspected cases individually their not in contact with anyone. So any suspected case is gonna be locked up in one of those rooms and test them."
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