[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he island’s lone southern hospital, the St. Jude’s Hospital, no stranger to controversy, is once again the subject of a debate, sparked by a heated exchange. Inefficiencies and neglect were alleged, a swift unequivocal defence put forth and the Saint Lucian public opined over the airwaves and on social media.
Earlier this week the head of Raise Your Voice Saint Lucia Inc., Catherine Sealys, called upon Minister of Health Mary Isaac to update the public on what she described as “serious gaps in service delivery and absence of key medical personnel including an obstetrician/gynaecologist, at St. Jude’s Hospital.”
Sealys alleged that “a number of women already in the advanced stages of labour are referred to Victoria Hospital without proper arrangement for their safe transfer which has resulted in infant mortality and major health complications for both mother and child”. She went on demand that the alleged issues with the hospital’s current (temporary) location, the George Odlum Stadium—structural, quality of service, and adequacy and quality of resources—be remedied post haste. In addition, she implored the government to complete its permanent home to facilitate a much-needed move as well as to open the Owen King E.U. Hospital.
When the communications officer of St. Jude’s Hospital, Shervon Alfred, was contacted by the STAR for comment he referred to the claims by Raise Your Voice St. Lucia Inc. as “misleading”. He indicated that at no time was the hospital without an obstetrician/gynecologist on staff. He explained that there is currently a full time obstetrician/gynecologist and a second has been hired to replace another who resigned in December of last year.
As for the claim of women in advanced stages of pregnancy being referred to Victoria Hospital, Alfred indicated that under no circumstances are women in any stage of labour transferred (for obvious reasons) and there is a standard operating procedure for when pregnant women are transferred.
He explained that all patients are transferred via ambulance provided either by the hospital or by the St Lucia Fire Service and they are accompanied for the entire transfer by a doctor, nurse, or emergency medical personnel (EMT), without fail.
He acknowledged that the current conditions under which the hospital operates are less than ideal but insisted that notwithstanding those conditions, St Jude’s Hospital still provides optimum care.
Multiple attempts were made to contact Ms. Sealys for further comment, all to no avail.
