The T&T Registered Nurses’ Association (TTRNA) has confirmed that four nurses assigned to the St Ann’s Hospital recently died. According to information from association members, COVID-19 is believed to be the cause of death in two of the cases.
The association’s president, Idi Stuart, yesterday expressed condolences to the families of the deceased but withheld the cause of deaths from Guardian Media.
However, saying two of the deaths were connected to a singular incident, he called for stronger Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures within the North West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA).
“We would really want them to look at some of the IPC practices. We know the staff have been working assiduously to try to keep the numbers down but for some reason the numbers continue to escalate within the St Ann’s Hospital,” Stuart said.
“What we are saying is that two of those four (deaths) could have been prevented once IPC measures were in place to the level that we have been recommending over the last couple of months.”
He said there were also other hospital staff who lost their lives within the past few weeks.
“Something has to be done with managing outbreaks within facilities like St Ann’s Hospital—long-stay facilities,” he said.
Stuart said the association has been lobbying the Government for health and life insurance for nursing personnel.
“Two forms of insurance that would ease the minds of nursing and nursing personnel at this time and we don’t think that it’s too much to ask that if a nurse dies during this line of battle, that their families would be taken care of by a small contribution to an insurance plan...by the RHAs (Regional Health Authorities).”
Earlier this year, wards maid at the St Ann’s Hospital, Alicia Rullows, died from COVID-19.