Members of QBMC staff undertaking the cleaning of the Medical Centre.
Two nurses standing next to a COVID-19 instruction poster at the Hospitainer.
ST. EUSTATIUS--In the past days, Queen Beatrix Medical Centre (QBMC) has undergone a thorough in-depth sanitisation.
Hospital staff which includes nurses, ambulance drivers, domestic- and kitchen staff worked together to thoroughly clean the hospital.
With the recent COVID-19 outbreak and a large number of persons on the island having potentially been in contact with persons who tested positive for COVID-19, management of the hospital decided that it was necessary to take the decision to temporarily relocate its emergency services to the Hospitainer, and have the hospital sanitised.
Currently, a number of hospital staff are in quarantine and several staff members of QBMC have tested positive and are in isolation. The hospital has implemented new protocols and has had all staff recently tested in an effort to identify any further spread of the virus within the organisation. These tests were sent to Curaçao and the results are due in a few days.
Last week, the hospital emergency operations were relocated to the Hospitainer. Director of QBMC, Gerard Berkel previously stated this was carried out as the hospital’s management team wanted to ensure that the care provided to the community was performed in a safe environment.
Berkel and his new colleague, Chief Medical Officer Nico Zuurmond expressed their gratitude to the staff of QBMC for their dedication and passion, as they continue to provide quality care to the community under the difficult circumstances.
