Ministry of Health: Respiratory Hospital not witnesses shortage of oxygen 

St Lucia: The Ministry of Health declared the concerns relating to medical gas availability (oxygen) at the Respiratory Hospital. Any claims of a shortage are misinformation. There has been a continuous and reliable supply of medical gas (oxygen) by the only local manufacturer, Windward Island Gases. 

The Ministry of Health and Wellness noted the concerns by some media personnel and citizens related to the medical gas (oxygen) situation at the Respiratory Hospital (Victoria Hospital). The Ministry of Health & Wellness wishes to categorically deny the misinformation of a shortage of medical gas (oxygen) at the Respiratory Hospital (Victoria Hospital).

The current medical gas system at the Respiratory Hospital, which existed before moving to the Owen King EU Hospital, was not designed for such a radical increase. 

Consequently, the system is currently being re-engineered to a semi-automated system to allow immediate notification and response by the technical and clinical team. The semi-automated system will also be less labor-intensive and time-consuming.

Notwithstanding the semi-automated system’s move, there has been a consistent and reliable supply of medical gas (oxygen) by the only local manufacturer, Windward Island Gases. The Ministry of Health thanks the supplier for their commitment to meet the hospital’s demands for medical gas (oxygen) and notes that the supplier has given their unequivocal commitment in this regard.

The Ministry of Health has also strengthened the Respiratory Hospital’s internal processes to ensure reliability, consistency, and responsiveness.

1. Move to four (4) daily medical gas (oxygen) checks from one (1);

2. Increase in the human resource to provide a twenty-four (24) hour medical gas (oxygen) monitoring service; 

3. Procurement of medical equipment (hi-flow machines, ventilators, oxygen concentrators, and others)

4. Re-training of the current employees and ongoing training of new employees.

Over the last three (3) weeks, the Respiratory Hospital has recorded an exponential increase in medical gas consumption (oxygen). This is due to the number of patients and understanding of the patients admitted at the Hospital. The medical gas (oxygen) demand moved from fifty (50) cylinders daily to one hundred and twenty (120) cylinders.

Over the last six days, commencing Friday, February 19, 2021, the hospital consumed eight hundred and fifty-six (856) cylinders of medical gas at one hundred and ninety-five dollars ($195.00) per cylinder.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness encourages all St Lucians to continue practicing the health protocols/guidelines that have been enacted as we continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

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