The Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr. Carissa F. Etienne,
yesterday participated in the inauguration of the latest smart health care facility to
open in the Region of the Caribbean.
The Princess Alice Hospital is the first hospital to have been refitted to smart
standards in the Eastern Caribbean and the latest in the Caribbean Region as
a whole.
“The Caribbean is particularly vulnerable to natural hazards, so we must be serious
about climate change and this hospital is an example of how PAHO is contributing
to that,” said Dr. Etienne.
“Countries must provide an overall standard of care so that their people are safe
and well, but they must also be able to scale-up this care when they experience
a disaster,” she added.
The inauguration ceremony, which was also attended by Honourable Nickolas Steele,
Minister of Health in Grenada; Simone Banister, from UK Aid’s Department for
International Development and Shalini Jagnarine, the structural engineer from PAHO
responsible for the development of the Project, preceded a ribbon-cutting ceremony
and a tour of the refitted hospital facilities.
“Climate change and health are serious policy issues for Grenada,” said Honorable
Nickolas Steele. “The Ministry is committed to a safer, healthier and greener
community throughout the Caribbean.”
The smart standard refit implemented at the Princess Alice Hospital now include
protective shutters and a specialized roof; as well as energy-saving light fittings
and solar panels.
During the inauguration, an emphasis was placed on the importance of “safe”, “green”
and “maintenance” in the development of a smart health care facility. “It
is important to invest in smart hospitals, but it is just important that these
facilities and this investment is maintained,” said Dr. Daniel St. Louie, House
Officer at the Princess Alice Hospital.
Smart Hospitals
The Smart Hospital Project is an initiative financed by the UK’s Department for
International Development (DFID) and implemented through PAHO. The Organization
works with Ministries of Health in countries across the Eastern Caribbean to
construct and/or retrofit health facilities with the aim of improving disaster
resilience while saving energy and water.
The primary functions of smart health care facilities include protecting the lives
of patients and health care workers; reducing damage to hospital equipment
and infrastructure; providing health services under emergency conditions; using
scarce resources more efficiently; and improving strategies to adjust to future
hazards and climate change.
