TCI Hospitals hold on Elective Surgeries; emergencies only take priority

#TurksandCaicos, July 20, 2021 – Elective surgeries at the TCI Hospitals will still have to wait; the hospital in a media statement last week informed that only emergency surgeries can be accommodated at this time.

The reason given: “strategies are still needed to reduce the risk of exposure to patients and staff.” 

Covid-19 load on the hospital is down; even with 30 new infections the hospital has no direct patients as a result and this progress is attributed to the success of vaccine uptake still it is not ready to take on elective procedures. 

We asked TCI Hospitals which procedures were on hold, how many people are impacted by the decision and how long have these people been on a waiting list.  To the latter; it’s been months for some, weeks for others. 

No figure of how many people this is affecting was given… instead, the hospitals said:  “The waiting list is dynamic… The current waiting list is reviewed and prioritized on an ongoing basis whilst balancing new incoming cases with emergency needs.” 

And no procedure list was provided in spite of our question.  What is a significant factor explained the TCI Hospitals, which is run by InterHealth Canada is this:  “…surgical operations consume a high volume of personal protective equipment per procedure. As a result, the utilization of these critical medical supplies are balanced against patient access to surgeries and overall safety considering the ongoing supply chain disruptions.” 

At this time, patients who want elective surgeries face rescheduling.