Mandeville medical staff return to work

Medical employees at the Accident and Emergency Department of the Mandeville Regional Hospital in Manchester are back at work.



The workers including doctors and nurses walked off the job this morning in protest against poor working conditions including overcrowding at the facility.



However, the employees returned to work following a meeting with Health Minister Rudyard Spencer.



Regional Technical Director at the Southern Regional Health Authority, Dr. Michael Coombs said this morning’s protest resulted from a longstanding problem with the capacity of the Accident and Emergency Department.



Dr. Coombs said on numerous occasions patients who were to be admitted had to be kept on stretchers and beds inside the A&E department because there were no available beds on the wards.



According to Dr. Coombs plans to refurbish a section of the hospital to provide additional space are yet to materialize.



Dr. Coombs said the regional authority would continue to lobby the health ministry in an effort to begin refurbishing work in the A & E department.



He said while a doctor and a nurse remained in the department during this morning’s protest, several patients were inconvenienced.