PAHO completes initial assessment of Cornwall Regional air crisis

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has completed its initial assessment of the air quality crisis at the Cornwall Regional Hospital in Montego Bay, St. James.
 
Dr. Winston De La Haye, Chief Medical Officer, says the ministry is now awaiting a report from the entity.
 
The report will come in the midst of heightened activities at the hospital, including relocating patients and staff to facilitate the replacement of the ventilation system.

"We expect to get a report from them any day now so we're really compiling all that we have, whilst at the same doing the relocation, planning what's required to fix the problem once and for all, which includes a total removal of the existing air conditioning system to be replaced with one that has to be designed specifically for that building," the chief medical officer asserted on RJR's Beyond The Headlines on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Dr. De La Haye has also given an update on the situation at the hospital in relation to reducing the number of patients.

Currently, he said, the hospital has been reduced to about 45 per cent of capacity. However, the intention is to reduce the 10 storey building to 10 per cent capacity until the issue is addressed.

"The main aim is to reduce the numbers as much as possible, save and except of course, areas like the recovery room, theatre services and so on, as soon as we can," he declared.