FALMOUTH, Trelawny — Impressed by the Falmouth General Hospital’s ability to rise to the challenges of COVID-19 and fill the gaps left by the misfortunes that have plagued Cornwall Regional Hospital, Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton says the time has come to look at upgrading the Trelawny-based type C facility.

“Falmouth has benefited from the COVID pandemic and the demise of Cornwall. So, in a strange way the hospital is far better off because it has had to rise to the occasion,” he said. “It’s worth looking at how we increase the specialist services and upgrade the facility. And it’s timely because of the development that is taking place in the parish. So it’s something that we are going to need to look into and see what else can be done to upgrade the facility and provide some additional care.”

He was speaking last Friday during a tour of the newly constructed 36-bed COVID ward field hospital. It is housed on the grounds of the Falmouth Hospital. His comments about upgrading the facility are similar to those he made during a visit in 2018.

Type C hospitals like Falmouth provide primary and basic secondary care services, while type B facilities offer primary and secondary health care services. Meanwhile, type A hospitals provide comprehensive secondary and tertiary health care services and are referral centres for other hospitals, both in the public and private health systems.

Tufton cited the increased number of bed spaces as one of the factors that would tilt the scales in favour of Falmouth Hospital’s upgrade. He noted that the facility now boasts 220 beds, a sharp increase over the paltry 87 it had just five years ago. The increase was a direct result of the demand to provide care for COVID-19 patients.

The facility has also benefited from an increase in its number of operating theatres to accommodate staff and services transferred from the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH). CRH has struggled with air quality issues and is also undergoing a major renovation.

“Assuming we get past COVID, what you have here at Falmouth is a much larger facility by bed count, by personnel, by services offered and it really augurs well for this institution,” said the health minister.

“So, in a strange way, the hospital is far better off because it has had to rise to the occasion and I think the staff has done what they need to do and we have to credit them. But I think also the [health authorities in the] region… the ministry and, by extension, the Government has done what they have to do by providing the facility.”