Gozo general hospital has moved several services to the adjoining Barts medical school so that its wards can be repurposed for COVID-19 patients.
Steward Healthcare, which runs the hospital, said the clinical skills area in the medical school now houses chemotherapy services and related infusions, ensuring that the most vulnerable patients can continue to receive care in a safe and sustainable manner despite the evolving coronavirus situation.
The hospital has also moved outpatient consultations to the medical school, including anticoagulation and phlebotomy clinics, to enable COVID-19 preparedness works on the hospital outpatients and surrounding areas.
Additional work areas have also been provided on the medical school campus for hospital management and administration staff to free up space in Gozo
hospital, which is making 120 beds available for patients with coronavirus.
The first phase of this expansion has been completed complete with 41 beds up and running to cater for coronavirus patients. Three persons have so far tested positive for COVID-19 and are being treated there. All in a good state of health.
Steward said the medical school auditorium is used on a regular basis by the hospital’s tactical team for daily COVID-19 briefings.
Two of the largest lecture theatres on campus were emptied of furniture and are being used to support the temperature-controlled storage of over two million
euros worth of additional medical equipment being procured by Steward for COVID-19 purposes.
“This approach reflects Steward’s dedicated care centre model for COVID-19, whereby isolating COVID-19 patients for treatment serves two important purposes. First, by locating COVID-19 patients in a focused environment,
Steward can better dedicate the necessary resources, equipment and expertise to provide COVID19 patients with focused care and the very best opportunity for a full recovery. Second, it allows Steward to continue caring for other patients who are sick, who are mid-course in treatments, who need to continue to receive the necessary treatment and who need high-quality care”, Steward said.