Over $2 Million Spent Already to Acquire Ventilators & Other Medical Supplies
Marvin Manzanero
An initially budget of nine hundred thousand dollars was set aside to acquire medical equipment, such as ventilators and other medical supplies needed for the response to COVID-19. There were concerns that the health system did not have an adequate amount of ventilators to deal with any potential outbreak. But there are assurances that Government’s targets for COVID expenditure have been surpassed. Earlier today at the Prime Minister’s Press Conference, Director of Health Services, Doctor Marvin Manzanero reported that over two point two million dollars have already been spent to acquire two ventilators among other supplies including personal protective equipment.
Dr. Marvin Manzanero, Director of Health Services
“To date we have spent in equipment and I will outline some of the equipment we have procured. Two point two million, three hundred and ninety-nine thousand dollars in terms of getting medical supplies and equipment. Out of that, one million eight hundred and forty-five thousand dollars have been from government funds. In that we have procured ventilators. There is a total now of thirty-two ventilators that are in that listing. We have procured beds—some of those are mechanical beds to make it easier for clinicians to manipulate and manoeuvre patients, particularly in I.C.U. care. Portable x-ray machines, portable ultrasounds—which is what health staff is requesting particular in the Intensive Care Unit. P.P.E.s; we got four thousand five hundred P.P.E.s and we are projecting worst case scenario for the next nine months so we are in the process of finalizing procurement for that. We are getting P.P.E.s over the next couple of weeks to be able to give to all the health staff, which I know has been a concern. Hazmat suits, particularly for people who are going to be dealing with patients in intensive care units. Portable thermometers, as I walked through Karl Heusner this morning, there is someone checking your temperature as you walk in. Those have been procured and have started distribution process across all health facilities. Houses to be able to do isolation on hospital compounds; that has started and some of them the placement has started. Testing kits, we got a further thousand kits on Friday, we have pending four thousand more test kits to arrive. We are looking at the possibility of doing rapid test kits to be able to do more community and fifteen-minute return time in terms of when you get those results. A backup PCR machine which is being used for conducting testing at the Central Medical Lab. We have a list of pharmaceuticals, primarily for Karl Heusner, in terms of patients who would require ventilation support because you know there is no specific treatment for COVID-19.”
Doctor Manzanero says that the projection is that an additional ten million dollars will be needed in medical supplies to be fully prepared for a worst case scenario.
