The San Fernando General Hospital is becoming the main treatment centre for the H1N1 virus in Trinidad and Tobago. The first four victims died at the hospital and a flood of new suspected cases is putting health care staff there under extra strain.News reports say at least three new patients have tested positive and are being treated in the hospital's Intensive Care Unity (ICU). A fourth patient is still under investigation.
The patients on the critical list include two female patients, a two-year-old child and a police officer, who is reported to be on a ventilator to facilitate breathing.
The demand for attention at the hospital is causing concerns. The Trinidad Express reported Friday that dozens of patients with flu-like symptoms chose to leave without seeing health personnel.
The hospital is putting people who are suspected of having the virus in an isolation tent on the hospital grounds where they have to wait until a doctor is available to see them. The wait can be several hours, pateints reported.
The ministry of health is not giving regular updates. It's last official figure shows that 163 flu victims have been confirmed with four deaths. And Health Minister Jerry Narace says it's not going to get better immediately.
"Sadly, based on global and local epidemiological trends, we do expect more cases and more deaths, but we are doing everything in our power to prevent further fatalities," Narace said earlier this week.
In an interview with the Express Thursday he suggested that people need to take precautions for their own safety.
"At the end of the day, it comes down to our personal hygiene, our respiratory etiquette and understanding the information we are required to understand," he said.
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