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ER needs expansion, report says
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Posted on Dec 28 1998
The emergency room of the island’s only hospital must be expanded because its space is becoming too small to accommodate the increasing number of patients, according to a report submitted to the Department of Public Health.
The report, titled “Emergency Department Vision 2000,” said the Commonwealth Health Center’s ER is already inadequate and must be expanded to meet the demands of the next century.
Statisticians project Saipan’s current population of about 70,000 to grow to 90,000 by the year 2000.
“We are already seeing more trauma, drug abuse and an increasing number of elderly patients with multiple medical problems. Waiting times are increasing during the busy periods and episodes of overcrowding have occurred,” the report said.
“This diminishes patient care and puts patient confidentiality at risk. While the staff are trying hard to minimize these problems, the situation will continue to worsen,” it added.
The number of staff at ER has already been beefed up to improve its services. But this is of little help as patients continue to wait for hours before they can be attended by an emergency physician for lack of space at the ER.
“We have increased our staffing during busy times, but there are simply not enough beds and space for all of patients who come in asking for help. The overcrowding and subsequent bottlenecks put patients at risk and lead to stressful and difficult environment for patients and staff alike,” the report said.
CHC’s emergency physicians have suggested to increase the ER’s current 8-bed capacity to 16. They have likewise proposed to have their work station redesigned aimed at providing patients a more secure and comfortable facility.
Over 24,000 patients were admitted at the ER in 1995, according to the same report.
