Thread by @jovanthony

'You're coming in and you already feel defeated ...trying to prioritise the sickest of the sick ...it is an everyday bad day' - healthcare worker on COVID response at #SavannalaMarHospital #COVID19 #tvjallangles

It's very sad to know I'm a nurse and I can't help them ...#covid is real. Too many elderly patients coming here ...couple days later they die - nurse #covid19 #tvjallangles

I have to go to help my colleagues ...that's the only thing holding me. It's hard on our bodies souls, minds...I am human. - nurse #tvjallangles

Porter says at times he feels he doesn't want to go in to work but still does #TVJAllAngles

#tvjallangles

There are not enough wheelchairs to go around because patients are sitting in them waiting for a bed - HCW #TVJAllAngles

We converted the outpatient clinic into an 8-bed unit. We operate outpatient as satellite. Have to scale down clinic days. Pushing surgeries way back #TVJAllAngles

We are now at 34 beds. It's never enough. Had area at front (compassionate care building). We have to be using it for covid patients. Started with 7 patients. Going up. Not piped for oxygen. What used to be emergency rooms had to be coverted to ward. #TVJAllAngles

Waiting area at #SavannalaMarHospital.
Patients waiting for up to 5 days. #TVJAllAngles

It has be rough. We have isises with chairs and beds. Inside packed up. - Porter who says his team first point of contact patients. #TVJAllAngles

Emergency room overcrowded with persons who need oxygen. Constant need of PPEs, staff getting sick. No bathrooms breaks. Just going and going and patients keeping coming and coming and coming in very sick - HCW #TVJAllAngles

Have to be playing multiple roles ...just have to do what is necessary ...for the patients - A&E head #TVJAllAngles

Medical emergencies have significantly increased. Regular trauma cases continue. It has become overwhelming- A&E head #TVJAllAngles

UPDATE: Journalist @djmillerJA gets access to A&E of Jamaican hospital buckling under COVID-19 pressure.

Every other person is on oxygen, nursing tells @djmillerJA It's depressing ...you're seeing persons dying everyday. You're giving help but...

It's just a horrible, horrible state, this place is in - nurse #TVJAllAngles

Breaking: It's just not possible to change COVID-19 gear to take care of healthy patients ( non-covid person). - nurse

It's like coming to a graveyard ...persons are dying - nurse #TVJAllAngles

Everybody is tired to point where we're snapping at each other. After a while we regroupn, we apologise- CEO @ #SavannaLaMarHospital #TVJAllAngles

We have 13 areas to staff. 3 added because of pandemic.
Was always short staff because of covid. -HCW

4 or 5 nurses in A&E. It's bad. Some nurses on quarantine, some going away. Normally 10 nurses. -Nurse #TVJAllAngles

Nurses most times do 16 hours per day. Affects families. Causing burnout. They have to go home t.o children. Some don't have caregiver. It is just a circle.of chaos on staff. Inspite of what's happening i expect expect to work. - Director of Nursing #tvjallangles

Staff at hospital 626. Saturday 45 were out. Number has gone up. Have to pull staff from other areas. - CEO #TVJAllAngles

By the time some patients come to A&E they're almost dead or gasping - HCW #TVJAllAngles

Lady came with oxygen levels in 20s. Normal is above 94. Trauma bay had to be used. Another patient came need bay but had to be resuscitated on the floor - HCW #TVJAllAngles

Sometimes patients come in gasping for air. No oxygen. - HCW

Sometimes we have oxygen but spacing a problem. - CEO #TVJAllAngles

Re oxygen capacity. You're just juggling from one hospital to the next so not to lose lives. Happening since Saturday. We have not gone down to zero. - CEO #TVJAllAngles

Sometimes we do get cussing. Patients are impatient. They complain doctors passing them by. We take the cursing. We cannot do anything. Cursing is discouraging - HCW #TVJAllAngles

Night shift we have two nurses. At nights it's worse than the day. HCW

Oh yes, on daily basis, HCW says she feels to cry. In one instance I saw a young girl 16 or 19yo. She passed. When you look at age group, it's overwhelming. #TVJAllAngles

70-75% vaccinated - director of nursing services. #TVJAllAngles

I don't know. It's not for very long - Nurse on how long she can cope

--
I can't give up - CEO

#TVJAllAngles

At the end of the day I'm beyond exhausted ...glad to be home, prepare for the next day - head of A&E.

Nursing services head says she doesn't feel as if her work is over a the end of each day.

#TVJAllAngles

An exhausting episode of #tvjallangles which was an urgent piece of journalism from @djmillerJA and team. Can it be any clearer what's happening in our hospitals? So much to unpack. Caught the part where the HCW said impractical to change COVID gear to treat non-covid patients?

'It's like a graveyard at #SavannaLaMarHospital' - Healthcare workers on #covid19 frontline at a struggling Jamaican hospital give gripping, deadly accounts of 16-24 hour daily shifts on #tvjallangles.

Breaking news: Healthcare workers at #SavannaLaMarHospital say they have to be treating #covid19 patients and non-covid persons in the same gear. It's "impossible" to change, one HCW tells @djmillerJA on #tvjallangles

Watch for why!