Caribbean News
Staff at Bustamante Hospital for Children Commended for Response During Earthquake
#Jamaica, November 11, 2023 – Senior Medical Officer (SMO) at the Bustamante Hospital for Children, Dr. Michelle-Ann Richards-Dawson, has commended the staff of the facility for remaining calm and collected during the earthquake that rocked the island on Monday, October 30.
Dr. Richards-Dawson pointed out that in a paediatric institution there are children of different ages and sizes and that it is important for the staff to not only think of themselves but also about the children in their care.
The SMO told JIS News that while staff members were very responsive, kudos must also be given to the parents who were on location as well.
“The staff responded by removing themselves and the patients from immediate harm and going to the assembly points, but we did not do this alone.
We were assisted by the parents who were there, so we gathered the children and guided them to the safe spaces,” she recalled.
“We also had to ensure that persons were settled afterwards, because some of the children were quite shaken and emotional as well. We have to give kudos to the parents who were there visiting at the time in terms of managing the
The SMO was pleased to report that it became obvious during the exercise that physical property was not the most important thing on the minds of the staff, but rather preservation of life, “so our priority was to take care of the children, take care of our staff, make sure everybody is fine”.
Dr. Richards-Dawson said that the institution also had to deal with patients who were coming into the facility after the earthquake.
“Within two hours of the event we started seeing an influx of patients. We expected to see some trauma cases, which we did. What we actually saw was students from about six surrounding schools who were fainting and having panic attacks,” she explained.
The SMO said that there were four children with injuries, who required admission, one of which was because of falling objects.
There was another instance, she said, where there was a stampede because the children panicked, and one child who was trampled was also admitted.
Dr. Richards-Dawson also had high commendations for schools in general because it was observed that the children reacted in the way that they were trained to do.
In terms of infrastructure, the SMO said that a few ceiling tiles came down and a few objects fell off the walls.
“It reminded us how we have to secure items to ensure that in the eventuality of an earthquake they do not become harmful to our children, staff or parents,” she said.
“Overall, I think the team did well and we were also reminded to review our plans frequently, to ensure that we are up to date in all aspects of our response and there is always room for improvement. It has also alerted and reminded us that we must always be prepared for the unexpected and how we react in that situation to ensure that everyone is taken care of and that no one is left behind,” the SMO added.