By Halshane Burke
The Health Ministry says its overflow facilities, commonly referred to as field hospitals, dedicated to support the COVID-19 response remain in commission.
The facilities, with dedicated bed space, are located at six hospitals across the island.
Four fixed facilities are at St. Joseph's Hospital, Falmouth Public General Hospital, University Hospital of the West Indies and Noel Holmes Hospital, while two deployable systems are based at Spanish Town and May Pen hospitals.
In response to a request from Radio Jamaica News on the status of the field hospitals, the Health Ministry said with the continued demands of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the facilities are rendered operational on an as needed basis.
The ministry added that the fixed facilities are occasionally used to house a small number of routine patients.
For the long term, it said the deployable systems are to be maintained for use in the event of a crisis or disaster, while the fixed facilities will be repurposed at the local level, and operationalised in crisis or surge situations in accordance with facility surge plans.
