The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

PRINCESS Margaret Hospital is making the necessary adjustments to accommodate the rise in respiratory illnesses among children, hospital administrator Mary Lightbourne-Walker said.

She said the number of children admitted to the hospital on average has “tripled” because of the respiratory illness.

In a statement released earlier this month, the Public Hospitals Authority said that there has been a “sharp” rise in respiratory illnesses following the reopening of school.

Symptoms of the illness include fever, cough, and runny nose, which are usually mild and are easily addressed by a primary care physician in an office or clinic setting.

 Yesterday at the commissioning ceremony of the newly renovated Rand Lab, Ms Lightbourne-Walker said like hospitals around the world, PMH is faced with the “burden” of accommodating the additional intake of children patients. She said the hospital has set up a temporary emergency space and repurposed four rooms in the intensive care unit for a certain age group of children.

 She said: “I would say that from average, you would average about maybe about four to five patients being admitted on an average day, however you can triple that now. . .looking at the number of persons presenting and requiring service.”

 She also said: “I do know that we’ve put out some PSAs advising the public that for certain illnesses, you do go to your primary health care physician in the first instance. But the children, they do deteriorate very rapidly and when you see them start to have temperatures and difficulty breathing, the emergency room is the place for you to come for them to get help.”