(Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – Thursday, 11 June 2020): InterHealth Canada – Turks and Caicos Islands Hospital wishes to advise the general public that the project announced by the TCI Government – Ministry of Health to install electrical sockets and medical gas lines in the Outpatient Department at Cheshire Hall Medical Centre is due to commence on Saturday, June 13th 2020 and is expected to span several weeks.

The project is a collaborative effort, which is intended to expand the country’s critical care capacity and provide greater access to aggressive respiratory support, where required, as part of the national COVID-19 response and reopening of local borders to international flights. Patients should expect temporary changes to clinic scheduling and the use of alternative onsite clinical areas to provide the least possible disruption to outpatient services during the renovation period.

During a national lockdown, outpatient services are normally downscaled to divert human resources to the emergency response. Therefore, under these circumstances and in the case of adverse patient surges, the outpatient department rooms will serve as a multipurpose space to deliver advanced clinical care — contingent upon staff and equipment availability — once renovation works are complete.

The project is funded and directed independently by the TCI Government – Ministry of Health. InterHealth Canada, the hospital’s private health care management company, is specifically responsible for the application of infection prevention and control (IPC) and general safety processes once construction workers are onsite along with the coordination of clinic scheduling and patient flows.

In partnership with key stakeholders in the Ministry of Health and Military of Defense, the company’s role is also to advise TCI Government – Ministry of Health on the clinical human resource needs and the most suitable medical equipment to ensure compatibility with existing hardware, clinical needs and planned preventative maintenance requirements.