The Ministry of Health has responded to the article published by the Samoa Observer on June 13, 2023, titled “Hospital’s Condition Gets Worse.” The Ministry acknowledges the concerns raised in the article.
The Ministry had already proposed an annual maintenance plan for all the buildings of the National Hospital. The maintenance work for the old outpatient building is nearly finished, and the plan is to move outpatient and emergency services to a different location before undertaking major repairs.
Currently, the Ministry can only carry out minor repairs to ensure that emergency and outpatient services can continue at the current location. They are also focused on maintaining the safety of patients, the public, and staff members.
Although the Ministry is working to address the issues mentioned, the hospital facilities and equipment are over 10 years old. Many parts for the centralized systems’ equipment and elevators are outdated and difficult to find, requiring significant repairs and replacements. Additionally, there is limited local technical expertise, and assistance needs to be sourced from outside Samoa. The central air conditioning systems, which are already causing leaks, cannot be fixed for a specific section or floor of the building. They are connected to the entire building, so major repairs would require shutting down the entire building, disrupting all services provided there.
Items mentioned in the article that are not inside the hospital buildings are placed there temporarily until they can be transferred to Vaimea according to government policy. The Ministry conducts maintenance work on a daily basis for all its buildings, including hospitals in both central and rural areas. Sufficient budget allocation is available for these maintenance activities, although large procurement orders have to follow the usual finance process.
The procurement process is currently underway to acquire heavy-duty beds that can accommodate the weight of patients. This process takes time. In the meantime, there are enough beds to meet the current demand, considering that the recent outbreak has subsided. The issue of broken beds and equipment mentioned in the article is a common and significant challenge faced by the Ministry. Some individuals, through carelessness or intentional disrespect, cause damage to equipment such as beds and public facilities like lavatories. This is why the Ministry has implemented policies on the number of visitors, restrictions on children and outside food, and limiting caregivers to one per patient. These measures are in place to ensure the longevity and safety of government assets.
