By Chantalé Flectcher
THE Arima General Hospital will start its decommissioning exercise from next week.
This was announced by Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh at a press conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s on Saturday.
Deyalsingh said the same model for the Point Fortin Hospital would also be followed, which was to stop admitting new Covid-19 patients.
“So no new patients will be admitted from Monday but persons will be discharged as they get well,” he stated.
The new Point Fortin Hospital was the first in the parallel healthcare system to revert to providing general health care to the people of the southwestern peninsula, which has been part of the parallel healthcare since May 2021.
Deyalsingh said although he could not give a date, the process could take about one month or two for normal attrition as people get well.
He said, “We have also decommissioned the Tacarigua Racquet Centre as a stepdown facility which was originally used to house those persons from Barbados.
“We hope that the process could be finished in about two weeks, then we have to clean and so on.”
Deyalsingh indicated that the Debe step down facility was also on the way.
However, he stated the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) in Spring Village, Valsayn would be the national step down facility as needed, while the St James Hospital would also be maintained.
Deyalsingh said, “We would be dismounting and packing up the field Hospital that is at Jean Pierre Complex right now, but in case we need it in the future.
He said, “The plan is to remount it at Couva, if we need it but right now, both Field Hospitals have been empty for a while now.”
