Dear Editor,

I would like to thank Mr Wesley Cunningham for his observations and concerns with respect to conditions at the St Ann’s Bay Regional Hospital as outlined in his letter published in the Sunday Observer dated, March 3, 2012 titled, “St Ann’s Bay Hospital needs attention, Minister”.

A significant increase in patient load has impacted patient flow in the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department and by extension, has impacted available bed space on the wards.

We are aware of the present overflow at the facility and have taken steps to address the matter. In February, I took part in a contract signing valued at $73.4 million, which will see a 47-bed expansion of the female medical ward. This work is slated to begin on March 18, 2013, and will last eight months. In addition, other improvements are being made to the hospital as well as to health centres in St Ann.

We expect that this expansion of the ward will significantly reduce the need for persons to wait in the A&E Department for extended periods for admission. I would like to assure Mr Cunningham and other persons who use the facility that the Ministry of Health and the team at the North East Regional Health Authority are doing everything possible to rectify the problem.

We apologise for the inconvenience and use this opportunity to urge persons to utilise their community health centres for non-emergency cases to alleviate the demands on hospitals.

Hon Dr Fenton Ferguson, DDS, MP

Minister of Health