BY MAVIS NISHIMURA PODOKOLO
PEOPLE infected withCovid-19 need to be cared for in Intensive Care Unit or need intensive care treatment, which currently the country is lacking.
This particular area of concern was revealed on Tuesday 7th April by Dickson Mua, Minister for Health and Medical Services (MHMS) during an emergency meeting at the National Parliament.
Mr Mua said COVID-19 is respiratory diseases and patients suffering from a more acute infection with the virus need intensive care treatment.
“Acutely ill patients requiring intensive care currently unable to be cared for in a dedicated appropriate equipped ICU in this country.
“This situation means that lives are sometimes lost unnecessarily because the necessary acute intensive care can’t be provided.
“Without an Intensive Care Unit in this country, we cannot provide intensive care to acutely treat ill patients suffering from COVID-19 or other health issues. There is desperate need for an ICU to be established at the NRH as well as our provincial hospitals,” he said.
Mua said the respiratory support machines for severe respiratory illness due to COVID-19 are called ventilators and most covid-19 patients will need breathing support.
“Prior to COVID-19 the NRH has two ventilators, with the two existing ventilators one is being used for anesthesia and one is on standby for COVID-19.
“With the COVID-19 at hand the ministry recognizes the urgency to preposition additional ventilators, therefore, two ventilators have been donated by a couple by WHO.
“Given the high demand of ventilators globally, WHO is yet to secure four ventilators to be procured for Solomon Islands,” he said.
