Three years later, ‘COVID Hospital’ continues to care for patients with infectious diseases

Three years after it was constructed to cater for COVID-19 patients, the Infectious Disease Hospital, commonly known as the “COVID Hospital”, has now been repurposed to treat other patients.

In a press release on Tuesday, the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) stated that since COVID-19 is no longer considered a pandemic, the hospital now caters for patients with other infectious diseases such as monkeypox, tuberculosis, MRSA and GPHC lodgers (patients who were left abandoned at the hospital.)

GPHC also noted that “a limited number of COVID-19 patients” are also being cared for as well.

Since its inception in 2020, the hospital played a pivotal role in Guyana’s fight against COVID and over the years saw 4,448 patients, with a peak of 112 hospitalized COVID-19 patients at one time.

“Over the years, approximately 50 dedicated medical staff members have worked tirelessly within its walls,” GPHC said in its release.

The hospital now boasts a 38-bed ICU capacity and provides essential services such as dialysis, surgical interventions (including c-sections for pregnant mothers, trauma, and paediatric surgeries), physiotherapy, and physiological support for COVID-19 patients.

“Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation acknowledges and extends its deepest gratitude to all frontline workers, staff, and partners who have made the Ocean View Infectious Disease Hospital a symbol of resilience and hope in the face of adversity,” GPHC stated.