Spa donates beds, wheelchairs to Mandeville Regional Hospital

MANDEVILLE, Manchester:

Regional director of the Southern Regional Health Authority (SRHA), Michael Bent, has welcomed a donation of six beds and 15 wheelchairs – retrofitted with bed pans for the immobile – which was made to the Mandeville Regional Hospital (MRH) by new Mandeville Spa and Wellness Resort recently. The gifts are valued at US$25,000.

He said that given the consistency of shortage of bedspace across the region, the donation was timely.

“When you look at the bed occupancy rate in our facilities across the SRHA – all five hospitals over the last two three years have shown an increase. Just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic – February 2020, we were at a low of 51 per cent, Now the rate has moved from 71 to 136 per cent,” he stated.

Bent, who shared a further breakdown of the MRH in particular, said the facility which in February 2020 had a 71 per cent bed occupancy, that figure has now moved to 108 per cent in February to March of this year.

“Each year it [the increase rate] is consistent, so these beds while they are few, make a big difference … There is consistent bed occupancy over 100 per cent. And once we have over 100 per cent we have to find a space for patients to be comfortable, maintain dignity and have the doctors and nurses (being) able to treat patients better,” the director expressed.

Bent commended operators of the Kum-Bayah Properties, a new property management company that operates the Wellness Spa, the Royal Spa, Kum-Bayah town houses and a conference centre, for the partnership which he emphasised supports the mandate of the health authority to ensure the health of the citizens.

“The health sector cannot function alone without supplementary budget – that is revenues or gifts from the private sector. And over the years that is how we would have been able to carry out some of our objectives – by partnering with (the) private sector and other entities.”

Chief executive officer, MRH, Alwyn Miller, pointed to a pattern of spikes in admission numbers during holiday periods which also adds to the situation of shortages. Persons with non-communicable diseases, as well as casualties of motor vehicle accidents and violent crimes, were among the common cases. “You have a lot of patients with NCDs – diabetes, hypertension, heart attack who come in for attention. We are really seeing what appears to be an increased number of such patients presenting and that gives us a challenge in terms of bedspace to accommodate them … Surgical wards and internal medicine are the two main wards at this point in time, that are overwhelmed,” Miller stated.

Operations manager at the Mandeville Spa & Wellness Resort and director of Kum-Bayah Properties limited, Janice Tangub, said the resort’s overall mission is to help persons achieve wellness, and the opportunity to contribute.

“As a new business we chose to give back to the wider community of Manchester because it is our hearts’ desire to help the community … We offer massages, facials, manicures and pedicures and we also offer healthy food to our clients,” Tangub shared.