KINGSTON, Jamaica — The South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) wishes to advise the public that the bed capacity at the Spanish Town Hospital in St Catherine is now oversubscribed and has resulted in extended waiting times for patient admissions.

Lyttleton Shirley, Chairman of the SERHA Board said the hospital has been experiencing an increase in its patient load, however, strategies have been employed to treat with the delays.

"We are working to address this problem in short order. The hospital has a bed capacity of 340 and so a bed manager has been assigned with the task of ensuring the effective utilisation of all bed space. Some patients with chronic illnesses will be transferred to the Linstead Hospital, while patients requiring speciality care will be transferred to the respective specialist hospitals in the Region where possible," Shirley explained.  

"We will also be transferring our social cases, which are patients that have been discharged but have nowhere to go, to the Linstead Hospital."

In the meantime, Shirley said all patients are encouraged to cooperate with the staff as they work to remedy the delays. The public is also urged to utilise neighbouring health centres for non critical medical conditions to ease the burden on the Spanish Town Hospital. There are 27 health centres in St Catherine.

"We apologise for any inconveniences the delays may cause to our patients," Shirley added.