Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh says his Ministry had implemented measures to improve the management and operations of public neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) even before the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) submitted its report.
The PAHO report came on the heels of seven deaths at the Port of Spain NICU, early last year.
Responding to Opposition questions in the Senate on Tuesday, the Health Minister said the Ministry formed committees between 2016 and 2020 to provide technical advice and enhance policy, strategy, and service delivery across NICUs at the various Regional Health Authorities (RHAs).
Minister Deyalsingh noted these include committees on antimicrobial resistance, neonatal care, and reproductive care, with updated policies, guidelines, and training in infection prevention.
He told the Senate that these policies and guidelines are available to all staff as an online resource.
“More specifically, with regard to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital,” he said, “the above guidelines were used to update its existing laboratory user manuals and its standard operating procedures, and this was completed in 2023.”
“Further, the North West Regional Health Authority conducts an annual internal quality assessment for laboratory services to support quality improvement,” he added.
Minister Deyalsingh also reported that the Jamaican national agency for accreditation granted accreditation to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital’s laboratory in April 2024—the same month in which seven babies died from a bacterial infection.
