TCI Hospital update on resumption of clinical services and chiller system

#TurksandCaicos, November 3, 2017 – Providenciales – While 95% of clinical services offered at both TCI Hospital medical centers have resumed following the passage of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in September, the restoration of other departments with temperature-sensitive equipment is dependent upon the stabilization of the hospital’s chiller systems.

The chiller system at Cockburn Town Medical Centre on Grand Turk has now been fully repaired and is operating within the standards of the building.   As a result, the Operating Theatre can now accommodate elective surgeries, and most of the remaining routine services currently in emergency mode at the facility will resume shortly.   Appointments for elective surgeries and other procedures will be rescheduled.

The chiller system for Cheshire Hall Medical Centre arrived at the health care facility on Thursday, 02 November 2017.   The installation and commissioning is projected to span three days.   Therefore, the full restoration of 100% cooling capacity is expected by next week. Overseas engineers have arrived in country to assist local teams in the installation process.   The industrial chiller system arrived on island inside a 40 foot container.

A 60 ton crane was sourced to offload the system.   The chiller generates 370 tons of cubic cooling for the Cheshire Hall Medical Centre facility, which spans 11,500 square meters in size.   Cheshire Hall Medical Centre on Providenciales is the largest of the two medical facilities.   An additional chiller system has also been ordered.   However, the newly arrived system operates within the standards of the building and exclusively produces the cooling capacity required.

As a precautionary measure and in accordance with strict patient safety and quality control processes, water quality tests related to culture, sensitivity and endotoxins are being conducted overseas to analyze the quality of the main water supply and ensure there is no bacterial contamination as a result of recent storms.

The test results/report is due to arrive on 06 November 2017. In the meantime, Dialysis patients from Grand Turk are still being transferred to Providenciales for same day treatments at Cheshire Hall Medical Centre with assistance from the National Health Insurance Board.

Laboratory tests require an incubation period to allow any organisms to grow along with additional testing.   Renal Dynamics, a United States company specializing in dialysis systems, conduct routine maintenance for TCI Hospital Hemodialysis machines, which include a review of water quality records to ensure the best and safest possible care for patients diagnosed with chronic kidney disease.

Water is an essential component in the administration of in-patient haemodialysis, which uses up to 100 liters of water for each patient.   Each patient is dialyzed three time per week.During hemodialysis, a hemodialyzer, or artificial kidney, is used to filter fluids and wastes from a dialysis patient’s blood.  We continue to thank our patients for their understanding during our post hurricane recovery efforts.