Hospital reports low casualty rate in wake of Ivan

Eloise Reid of the Health
Service Authority reports that
serious injuries attributable
to Hurricane Ivan were low

by Christopher Tobutt

Friday, September 24, 2004

The Cayman Islands Hospital reports that it is operational and continuing to provide health care to the people of the Cayman Islands. The Hospital’s Accident and Emergency Unit continues to provide 24-hour medical care and never ceased operations at anytime during the passing of Hurricane Ivan.

The hospital in Walkers Road suffered from a stoppage of power on Sunday following the hurricane, but their generator was soon running and the normal activities of the hospital were close to being resumed; the only qualifier being that priority has been given to urgent operations, rather than non-urgent and routine operations. The reason that urgent operations are being given priority is attributable to a lower than normal number of staff, rather than higher incidence of serious injuries.

Chief Executive Officer of the Health Services Authority, Eloise Reid, announced that apart from two fatalities, the list of serious casualties attributable to the hurricane has been very low, considering the extreme conditions the hurricane had left.

However, there has still been a higher than normal incidence of minor injuries such as cuts, bruises and abrasions, which have been mainly caused by contact with rubble from people’s homes.

Ms Reid recommended that people get an anti-tetanus injection at one of the regional health centers, at North Side, behind North Side Primary School, at West Bay, near to the Town Hall, and at East End, near the gas station, near or at George Town Hospital at the junction of Smith Road and Walkers Road. The health centers are open every day from 9 am to 1 pm.

Bodden Town Primary School is being used as the local health center, because of damage to the regular Bodden Town health center.

Ms Reid said that it was important to get the injection, being offered free of charge, because of the possibility of infection coming from scratches or abrasions, which were more likely because of contact with sharp-edged rubble.

Ms Reid said that as far as she could see there was no danger from outbreaks of contagious diseases such as cholera or typhoid, as these were not endemic in the Cayman Islands.

Staff at the Chrissie Tomlinson Hospital in Walkers road confirmed that, apart from “a couple of fractures,” there had been surprisingly few injuries attributable to hurricane Ivan.

At Cayman Islands Hospital, Specialist, Dental, and Eye Clinics will be operational in a short time and an announcement is expected on Friday concerning the resumption of these services.

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