IN the wake of the Ministry of Health’s disclosure that 18 babies have died from bacterial infection at two hospitals since June, the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH), where 10 of those babies died, has said that it will not be capping the number of newborns admitted to its neonatal nursery but will instead be increasing capacity to accommodate more.

A news release issued by the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA) said the hospital’s board of management had taken the decision at a meeting on Thursday afternoon.

“Having studied the situation, the management of the hospital has determined that whenever admission to the neonatal nursery exceeds its normal maximum of 22 babies, there is a risk of a recurrence of the problem. However, instead of placing a cap on the number of admissions, given the regional nature of the institution, the board has decided to expand the capacity rather than impose an admission limit,” the WRHA stated.

“In addition, the institution will be hiring more registered nurses as well as patient care assistants in an effort to increase the hospital’s nurse-to-patient ratio…the hospital will also look at acquiring additional critical equipment for the nursery,” the statement said.

The hospital said that the current outbreak of Klebsiella bacteria was detected in the neonatal nursery on Saturday, October 7, but did not state if the situation was now under control, or whether any additional babies have been infected since the health ministry’s announcement on Wednesday.

The ministry, after media reports broke about the deaths and infections spread at the UHWI’s neonatal intensive care unit, revealed at a press conference on Wednesday that a total of 42 babies had been infected between both hospitals since June.

The WRHA insists that “immediate measures were put in place by the medical staff to identify and curtail the outbreak, and within five days it was contained. This included curtailing any new admissions and the relocation of unaffected neonates.

“The relevant officers at the Ministry of Health were advised within one day of the developments and assisted the CRH Infection Control Team to curtail what was identified as a Klebsiella bacteria outbreak,” the regional health authority said.

The WRHA noted that a customary sharp increase in the number of expectant mothers, who are admitted this time of the year, should be expected, “which may give rise to more than normal occupancy levels in the maternity ward”.

“Added to that is the fact that the hospital, which has a capacity of only 400 beds, is overburdened,” the WRHA said. So far there have been 2,391 deliveries at the hospital.