EFFORTS at ensuring that the St. Jude Hospital is adequately equipped to respond to the health needs of the people in the south of the island are underway following the recent handover of hospital beds, oxygen concentrators, pharmaceuticals, cardiac monitors, lab reagents and consumables to the hospital.
The handover of items was made possible by the Project Implementation Unit within the Ministry of Health through the Contingent Emergency Response Component (CERC) of the Health Systems Strengthening Project HSSP.
Project Coordinator of the Health Systems Strengthening Project Jeanette Jn Louis Hughes says it is her hope that the hospital will utilize these resources to improve on their service delivery to clients.
“The hospital is expected to provide lab services to persons accessing the services under the PBF and UHC. The supplies and equipment given to you today should go a long way in enabling the hospital in meeting its obligations under both programs. Bearing in mind that both of the programs are critical policy decisions taken by the Government of Saint Lucia.”
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health Jenny Daniel says the ministry is pleased to continue supporting the St. Jude Hospital as to ensure they provide quality patient care.
“The Ministry of Health is really the parent ministry for St. Jude Hospital and we try as much as possible to show goodwill and to provide what we can through our World Bank project and the PIU, in order to provide the support that is required for care, service provision. We do require that St. Jude Hospital take good care of equipment that is provided. We expecting that there will be a certain degree of management of the equipment and tracking of the equipment to ensure that it remains within the premises to provide the service that is really required by persons who most of the time can not afford to access private healthcare outside of the hospital.”
Chief Executive Officer of the St. Jude Hospital Lydia Atkins expressed appreciation and gratitude for the items and supplies and said this signified the groundwork for future collaboration and efforts to strengthen the delivery of health services to its clients.
“These supplies will allow the hospital to focus on delivering day-to-day care to patients and we are pleased that these items will augment equipment available at St. Jude Hospital and on the wards where they are needed most. Today’s supplies will go a long way in improving the environment in which we provide care, safeguarding lives, ensuring patient safety, adequacy of supplies to support care pathway, safeguarding continuity of care, improving client provider care relationships and satisfactions of staff and enhancing our ability here at St. Jude Hospital to treat and care for all patients who access our services”
Minister for Health, Hon. Moses Jn Baptiste reiterated his government’s commitment to strengthening the health system and to ensure things are better for the clients who access services at the St. Jude Hospital.
“Our government is very committed. Prime Minister Hon. Philip J. Pierre is very committed to the health sector. We are very committed to doing the things we must do now to ensure that the health sector remains strong.”
The St. Jude Hospital received 20 hospital beds, 5 oxygen concentrators, cardiac monitors, pharmaceuticals, lab consumables and reagents valued at over US $60, 000.