A two-year-project costing approximately $29 million will be undertaken to repair the electrical system at the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH).
This was revealed by the Minster of Health Terrance Deyalsingh in response to a question in Parliament on Monday.
The refrigerator at the SFGH morgue was done for a week and there were complaints bodies had been decomposed beyond recognition.
Deyalsingh said, “The South West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA) has confirmed that one of its refrigerators at the San Fernando mortuary was not working for one week due to the malfunction of the breakers that supports the chiller fans at the mortuary at the San Fernando Teaching Hospital.”
“As of Monday September 2, 2019, the following day, the chiller services were repaired and services have in fact returned to normalcy.”
He did not comment whether some of the bodies had decomposed saying this was a sensitive matter.
Deyalsingh said, “I have apologised to the families. The SWRHA has reached out to the families to put all the necessary counselling services in place.”
Deyalsingh said, “The electrical system at the SFGH is about 60 years old. Attention should have been paid to that electrical system 40 years ago.”
He said, “This government, about three months ago, approved a note for $30 million.
“The total upgrade of that electrical system, after Cabinet approval of $29 million, a two-year project, it’s a massive project which is due to begin in the new fiscal year.
“In the interim we are shoring up the electrical system and hopefully these things would not happen again. We are trying our best…but as I said, 40 years ago this should have been attended to.”
