Frustration ran high among parents and children at the Emergency Ward of the Wendy Fitzwilliam Paediatric Hospital in Mount Hope yesterday, as patients waited for as much as six hours to see a doctor.
Among the sick who visited the hospital yesterday, was a group of pupils from the St Xavier’s Private School in St Joseph where there is a confirmed case of the Influenza A/H1N1 virus.
Adding to the misery of the parents was the fact that there was no special screening area at the ward, for any suspected H1N1 virus patients.
All patients ’even those coughing into rags, napkins and tissues’ were asked to take a number and wait in the Emergency Ward. There was no sign of distribution of face masks or hand sanitisers as well.
A parent who wished to remain anonymous said she was very concerned about the situation there.
’Everyone is being allowed in the emergency room. There is only standing room in there. That is a gathering. If you didn’t have swine flu, you are almost sure to get it if it in there,’ she said as she pointed to the waiting room of the emergency ward from the corridor outside.
The parent said she was alerted by her daughter’s teacher that a pupil in her class was confirmed with the H1N1 virus. The parent decided to take her daughter, who has flu-like symptoms, to the hospital for an examination.
When the Express visited the school yesterday morning, the school’s secretary, Helen Quesnel, confirmed that a Prep 1 pupil and the pupil’s mother had the H1N1 virus.
’We got a call this morning and were told that the child and mother both have swine flu. They are at hospital. You know children, the children have gone home and told their parents there is a child in school with swine flu. But the child is not in school but we do have to take the precautions,’ she said.
As a result the teacher of the Prep 1 class contacted all the parents of pupils in her class alerting them of the situation and prompted them to take those who had any flu-like symptoms for testing.
At the school classes were running as usual. However, some parents, upon learning of the scare, decided to take their children away. Quesnel said a letter would be sent to all parents updating them about the situation.
