MONROVIA – Liberia’s largest referral hospital – John F. Kennedy Memorial Medical Center (JFK) – has suspended services of the Outpatient Department (OPD), which means, the hospital would only render emergency services.
Report by Lennart Dodoo, [email protected]
The OPD is defined as a part of the hospital with allotted physical facilities and medical and other staff, with regularly scheduled hours, to provide care for patients who are not registered as inpatients. A hospital department where patients receive a diagnosis and/ or treatment but do not stay overnight.
“Emergency services in all departments will continue as usual and you are expected to reassign your staff accordingly. You are also advised, where possible, to assign only a minimal number of your staff to shifts. Please submit your shift/call schedules to my office by end of day tomorrow, Wednesday the 8th of April, 2020. Also, encourage your staff to report any symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 before reporting for duty so arrangements can be made for them to be tested by the COVID-19 response team.”
In a memo to All Administrators, Clinical Heads, Supervisors and Clinicians, the hospital’s chief medical officer, Dr. Sia Wata Camanor stated that, “Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the management of the JFKMC has decided to suspend OPD services in all departments except the Infectious Disease Clinic and the Obstetric Clinic where the total number patients seen per day in each clinic should not exceed 50.”
The mandate has been enforced since April 7, 2020.
The memo added, “Emergency services in all departments will continue as usual and you are expected to reassign your staff accordingly. You are also advised, where possible, to assign only a minimal number of your staff to shifts. Please submit your shift/call schedules to my office by end of day tomorrow, Wednesday the 8th of April, 2020. Also, encourage your staff to report any symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 before reporting for duty so arrangements can be made for them to be tested by the COVID-19 response team.”
FrontPageAfrica gathered that two health workers at the Liberia-Japan Friendship Maternity Hospital at the JFK tested positive for COVID-19.
The JFK administration has, therefore, arranged testing for all staff and patients that may have been exposed to them. The hospital also intends to carry out a major disinfecting exercise.