Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew noted his satisfaction with the improved working conditions that now exist at the Pogson Medical Center as a result of recent changes made at the facility that serves Sandy Point and the surrounding communities.
Prime Minister Dr. Drew noted his satisfaction following a full tour of the medical facility earlier today, Friday, October 14, 2022. The honourable prime minister was accompanied on the tour by the Director of Health Institutions within the Ministry of Health, Dr. Jenson Morton and Press Secretary, Mrs. Adelcia Connor-Ferlance and Ambassador His Excellency Kenneth Douglas.
The most impactful change made at the Pogson Medical Center was the assignment of a cadre of doctors there dedicated solely to patient care at the hospital. This move now ensures that a medical doctor is always physically present at the hospital.
Prime Minister Drew, who is also the Minister of Health in the Federal Cabinet, said based on the feedback he received during his walkthrough of the facility, the positive impact of having a doctor available 24/7 at the hospital is being felt by the patients.
“The patients who I saw appreciate that they don’t have to go to JNF because they can now be treated here, but they also appreciate that a doctor is actually there to monitor the situation and not by phone or anything like that, so I already see that. And even the doctors who are here, you can see they feel very motivated that they are making a significant impact with respect to healthcare delivery in St. Kitts and Nevis, and specifically in this area.”
A part of the change that took place at the Pogson Medical Center was to separate the role of the District Medical Officer.
“The idea that we came in with is to make sure that Pogson functions, and therefore, we have made sure that we separate the District Medical Officer from the hospital doctor so that we have a cadre of doctors here in the hospital, and all they do is to man the hospital and take care of patients in the hospital,” said Prime Minister Dr. Drew. “The District Medical Officer would take care of the clinics associated with the area and that, we estimate, would increase satisfaction, as well as increase the level of service to the people in this area.”
The Prime Minister indicated that these moves not only benefit the people of Sandy Point but will also significantly reduce the stress being placed on the Joseph N. France General Hospital.
Head Doctor of Emergency Services at the Pogson Medical Center, Dr. Duriel Pemberton agreed with the sentiments shared by Prime Minister Dr. Drew of having a 24/7 doctor presence at the hospital, noting that it is “the ideal setting to be working in.”
“No longer would the nurse have to be worrying about what to do or what to give a patient, or having to run down a doctor by a telephone call or having to wait until a doctor comes out to physically assess a patient. So it would ease that burden and that stress off the nurses,” Dr. Pemberton commented.
The cadre of doctors now assigned at the hospital all hail from or reside in Sandy Point or its environs. Dr. Pemberton noted that this is important as it creates a certain level of familiarity between doctors and patients and that too is having a positive impact on the delivery of healthcare at the facility.
Mary Charles Hospital in Molineaux will also see improvement in the near future.