Government Considers Removing Absolute Ban on New Admissions To Infirmaries

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says consideration is being given to removing the absolute ban on new admissions to infirmaries across the island.

This is to be done with a structure of protocols that will be announced after consultations between the Ministries of Health and Wellness, and Local Government and Rural Development.

Mr. Holness, who was making a statement in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (October 26), noted that the moratorium on new admissions to infirmaries, which was put in place as part of measures to control the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), has not eased the demand for their services.

“There is now a waiting list comprising over 200 potential residents who are seeking admission to the infirmaries, so something has to be done. This is part of when we say we are moving into the endemic phase and we have to stop treating COVID as a project and we will now have to mainstream and we will now have to live with it,” Mr. Holness said.

The Prime Minister pointed out that the nation’s vulnerable citizens, especially the elderly, who are cared for through the network of infirmaries in the Local Government system have been prioritised for protection before and since the start of the pandemic.

This protection, he said, includes a comprehensive range of health protocols that cover the activities of the residents and the service providers with whom they interact, as well as the prohibition of visits by residents’ families since last year.

“These measures have proven to be highly effective, and we have had relatively few cases and very few deaths as a result. We are still living through a delicate phase of the pandemic… and as a result, the ban on visits to the infirmaries will continue,” he said.

Mr. Holness stressed, however, that it is not the intention of the Government to retain this prohibition for much longer.

“It has been in effect for nearly 17 months, and we understand the emotional toll that this is taking, both on the residents of the infirmaries and their families who would like to see them,” he said.

In the meantime, the Prime Minister thanked the “highly dedicated matrons and other managers and staff in the infirmaries” for continuing to care for and protect residents.

“They, too, are front-line workers and I must express our deep-felt gratitude to them,” he said.