SMMC has increased alertness and surveillance to reduce exposure to COVID-19 which has been enacted through:
Installation of special COVID-19 signage at all SMMC entry points to highlight symptoms and proper preventive measures such as sanitizing guidelines to all patients and visitors.
Installation of cough etiquette stations at all SMMC entry points.
Expansion of triage activities will be done before entering certain sections of the hospital such as the Emergency Room (ER) and the Outpatient Department (policlinics).
Patient visiting hours will be scaled down to twice a day at 11:30AM to 12:00PM and 6:00PM – 7:00PM starting this Monday March 16th, 2020.
Number of visitors per patient will be limited to 1 visitor per patient and no children allowed.
Discharging patients that are non-critical and fit to be discharged.
Travel of SMMC’s medical specialists will be postponed for the coming 4 weeks. The arrival of incoming specialists will continue as per normal, before his/her arrival they will be screened.
Lastly,
“While there are no suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 on St. Maarten (Dutch side), SMMC would like to reiterate the steps to take if you or a family member shows any of the signs of COVID-19 which include fever, cough, and shortness of breath”, stated Dr. Felix Holiday SMMC’s Medical Director and Chairman of the Outbreak Management Team (OMT).
“In case you develop these symptoms, it is of utmost importance that you first call your family doctor instead of going there or coming to SMMC in person. A healthcare worker from Collective Prevention Services (CPS) will come to you for testing in case of suspected COVID-19 infection. It is very important that, in case you develop the symptoms, you should home isolate and follow the instructions from your family doctor and CPS. You should also call your family doctor if you have been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19 or if you have traveled from an area with widespread or ongoing community spread of COVID-19”, Dr. Holiday concluded.
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