KINGSTON, Jamaica —  Chairman of the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA)  Lyttleton Shirley says that resulting from overcrowding at the Spanish Town hospital, some patients at will be transferred to the Linstead hospital.

“We are working to address this problem in short order. The [Spanish Town] 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,” Shirley said in a release.

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

Yesterday the SERHA advised the public that the bed capacity at hospital was “oversubscribed” and waiting times for patient admissions would be extended.