WESTMORELAND, Jamaica — Chief Executive Officer for the Savanna-la-Mar Public General Hospital, Camile Lewin has made an urgent plea for medical professionals in Westmoreland to join the hospital’s team as the staff prepares for the worst given the current lack of oxygen crisis.

The CEO took to social media on Sunday to make her plea.

“Hear me now my people… If you are a medical professional residing in and around Westmoreland we need your assistance immediately at Savanna la mar Hospital,” she wrote.

Lewin told OBSERVER ONLINE that the hospital is making preparations for any adverse situation as the facility is low on oxygen. On Saturday, Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton confirmed that the island’s hospitals were running low on medical oxygen as the local supplier, IGL, were having challenges supplying the hospitals.

“We are putting this group in place just in case the worst comes to worst, and we may have to resuscitate patients via bagging. So we just want all hands on deck,” she explained.

She noted that the hospital does not want to be caught off guard, hence the appeal for additional help.

“We need to have fresh minds and fresh hands on the ground.”

She added that staff members have been forced to work 16-hour shifts instead of eight.

“We don’t want people [overworked staff members] to be collapsing. So if you [medical professionals] can come in and give us like a four-hour session,” she appealed.

According to Lewin, the COVID-19 numbers are becoming uncontrollable, and the hospital needs to rest its staff.

“With the number of patients that are coming in, it’s becoming unbearable on the staff,” she noted.

Westmoreland continues to be one of the parishes hardest hit by the novel coronavirus pandemic. According to the health’s ministry’s data, in the last 24 hours, Westmoreland recorded 93 new cases of the virus, the fifth highest caseload across parishes.

Kimberley Peddie