MARIGOT--President Daniel Gibbs says he wrote to Minister of Overseas Territories Annick Girardin on April 13 requesting more specialist human resources and personal protective equipment (PPE) based on a request from Louis-Constant Fleming Hospital to combat the COVID-19 crisis.
The hospital had previously identified its needs and announced its request for reinforcements at the end of March, according to the established protocols; i.e., through the regional health agency ARS in Guadeloupe.
The hospital expressed the need for two intensive care anaesthetists, two emergency room physicians and an epidemiologist for the coming months, as well as masks and respirators. It was concerned about having enough resources to deal with COVID-19 without negatively impacting the treatment of other urgent and non-COVID-19 cases.
The Collectivité has also ordered, in conjunction with the management of ARS, three polymerase chain reaction (PCR) symptom-based screening machines and 2,400 serological kits (for antibody testing).
Gibbs said cooperation has been initiated with St. Barths which has the same ambitions in terms of screening and testing.
He said he is very appreciative of Députée for St. Martin and St. Barths Claire Guion-Firmin for her intervention with the government on behalf of the two Northern islands and her collaborative work undertaken with the Executive Council in St. Martin since the beginning of the health crisis.
