Taking Stock of Ventilators

Marvin Manzanero

The Ministry of Health says it continues to prepare for COVID-19 in respect of equipment.  As you may know, those critical COVID-19 patients who experience respiratory distress need ventilator support.  At this time, K.H.M.H. has six ventilators, but is scheduled to receive additional units later this week. Doctor Marvin Manzanero tells us more.

Dr. Marvin Manzanero, Director of Health Services

“K.H.M.H. has six ventilators and three on the way and by this Friday they will have the ability to set up twelve ventilators.   We also have to clarify something that we did say in March. Recall, that before the COVID-19 situation, Karl Heusner was the only entity ventilating patients for public sector. So, anybody requiring ventilation in any public sector hospital will wind up going to Karl Heusner. When we started in January, Karl Heusner had seven ventilators in the entire public health system and those still remain in the I.C.U. and we will have nine at the end of the day. So, within a space of four or five months we have doubled that and there is the capacity to put more. Karl Heusner got yesterday two non invasive ventilators; two non-invasive ventilators go to Orange Walk tomorrow and two remain in Belmopan and two will go to southern regional hospital. So, every regional hospital will have two non-invasive ventilators.”