THEATRE CASES TO BE DEALT WITH AT OTHER REGIONAL HOSPITALS
ANNOTTO BAY, St Mary; March 14, 2025
As of Monday, March 17, 2025, the Annotto Bay Hospital’s Operating Theatre, St Mary, will be closed for thirty (30) days. Arrangements have been made for different types of surgical care at Port Maria, St Mary, and Port Antonio, Portland, hospitals.
The North-East Regional Health Authority (NERHA)/ St. Mary Health Services (SMHS) advised Thursday, March 13 that the temporary closure “is to accommodate maintenance interventions and critical renovative works.”
The advisory sent to the North Coast Times said “the temporary closure is necessary to improve the functionality of the Operating Theatre to ensure the highest standard of care for our patients and enhance our employees’ work environment.”
During this period, the following arrangements have been made at the Port Maria Hospital, St. Mary, and the Port Antonio Hospital, Portland to accommodate operating theatre services:
- Obstetric Emergencies and Elective Surgeries – Port Maria Hospital
- General Surgery Emergencies and Elective Surgery Cases – Port Antonio Hospital
- Critical Surgical cases that require specialized care will continue to be referred to the St. Ann’s Bay Regional and other hospitals as necessary.
(Minister of Health Dr Chris Tufton, centre, speaking about changes at Annptto Bay Hospital. He’s flanked by chairman of the St Ann’s Bay Hospital, SABH, management Committee, Michael Belnavis and SMO at St Ann’s Bay Hospital, Dr Tanya Hamilton Johnson.)
Last month, Minister of Health Dr Chris Tufton on a visit to the St Ann’s Bay Regional Hospital spoke about improvements being made to Annotto Bay Hospital, following criticism of conditions there, by Opposition spokesman on Health Dr Alfred Dawes.
The NERHA/St Mary Health Services apologized for any inconvenience the temporary closure of the operating theatre at Annotto Bay Hospital may cause.
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