Hospital gets 20 tablets, 1000 masks for critical COVID-19 patients

Days after the former Public Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes came in for much public criticism over the Ministry’s donation of 30 tablets to the Guyana Prison Service, it on Thursday made a similar donation.
This time, 20 tablets and 1000 face masks were presented to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).
According to the Ministry, the donation comes as part of “Government’s unwavering determination in ensuring that patients receive the best care.”
The donated tablets – according to a public statement issued on Thursday – are to be used by patients in the hospital’s Isolation Intensive Care Unit (ICU).”
It said the Isolation ICU has a capacity for 16 patients and was recently established to provide care for COVID-19 patients who require intensive treatment.
The tablets, according to the Ministry’s statement “will allow patients in this unit to communicate with their family members since they are not allowed to have visitors while in isolation”.
It said too that GPHC officials believe that the tablets would provide psychosocial support for patients who were separated from their families during this difficult time.
The Ministry – headed by Cathy Hughes – also donated 150 masks to the National Community Policing Organisation of Guyana to be distributed among its members.
That body falls under the Public Security Ministry as is the case with the Guyana Prison Service.
That entity—following the brouhaha that erupted over the donation by the Ministry – had said that the assistance was as a result of the suspension of all visits to prisons. The Guyana Prison Service will be introducing at all prison locations video calls for prisoners to communicate with family members and Attorney- at-Law.
The calls, according to the Prison Service, would be made via the Google Hangout application from an Internet-powered cellular phone, iPad, tablet, or a computer with a camera and a microphone.