Local contractors with the Ministry of Health's (M.O.H.) maintenance sector are undertaking corrective measures as an intervention to long standing infrastructural issues experienced within the Emergency Department.

The Ministry is currently in the process of renovating the TTM Hospital Emergency Department - an extensive process that has involved stripping the mouldy ceilings, repainting the walls, replacing fixtures and installing new split air-conditioning units.

In response to questions by the Samoa Observer in an email, Acting Director General of Health, Atoa Dr. Glenn Fatupaito said they are aware of the issues with the hospital facilities.

He added that cost the Ministry more than $200,000 for the repairs. It costs $33,000 for each of the big air-conditioning units.

"The Ministry strives to do its very best to address all the arising infrastructural issues. This has been made evident by the gradual replacement of an existing and widely malfunctional central air con system with split air conditioning units," he said.

"This air-conditioning replacement has been extended widely across the central TTMH hospital including to the inpatient wards, rooms which are or are currently in the process of being fitted with individual (split unit) air conditioning units, with patients comfort and safety being kept in mind.  

"That's one thing too, is that the Ministry doesn't have the budget to buy the assets so we have to wait until the financial year and we wait every two to three months and so we submitted an urgent application.

"Yes we are aware of arising air-condition issues within the hospital. We experience a high degree of wear and tear within the extensive hospital infrastructure due to the 24 hour services provided and constant high volumes of patient traffic."

Dr. Fatupaito was queried about concerns raised by the public particularly on the poor conditions of the facilities at the national hospital.

The Acting Health boss stressed that the maintenance section of the Ministry's Assets Management and Support Services Division (AMSS) are specifically tasked with addressing all arising infrastructural issues.

"It is the very same team who respond to needs on a 24 hour basis, as they are notified by end user staff and the relevant line managers," he added.

"The ministry also has an ongoing maintenance plan in place for monitoring of our ministry equipment such as air conditioning units, oxygen plants etc.

"To our knowledge and from time to time we have selected rooms or areas that undergo air conditioning malfunction. We currently do not have an entire in-patient ward with malfunctional air conditioning.

"We have essentially replaced and are in the continuous process of replacing most of the now defunct central air conditioning units with split air conditioning units across the hospital.

Meanwhile, recently installed air conditioning units are under warranty with external local suppliers, which means these external suppliers are also reverted to and relied on to respond to the Ministry's requests for servicing.

The AMSS Division under the leadership of the ACEO AMSS responds daily to ongoing or arising issues within all Hospitals throughout the Ministry, with reports regularly issued to the office of the DG for pertinent matters and ongoing issues that need urgent rectification, Dr. Fatupaito explained.

"From time to time we have a sub-committee of MOH ACEO’s who inspect facilities and site pertinent infrastructural issues to provide further feedback and formulate interventions," he added.

"Yes we have plans in place and currently ongoing.  For example, the Ministry has recently completed renovations at the original General Outpatients Building (APCC), with this service restored and relocated to the original building."

Samoa Observer visited the Emergency Department under construction and witnessed the ceilings being removed and restructured.

Meanwhile, the Emergency Department has been moved next door within the same building, while the outpatient has returned to the old outpatient in the old hospital building.

According to Dr. Fatupaito, the Emergency Department will be moved back to its old venue that is currently being renovated while the renovation plans will be carried out for the outpatient as well.

Asked about expanding the renovation works to the other wards experiencing similar concerns such as the maternity ward, Dr. Fatupaito said 

"Ideally we want to but it's a matter of where to move the patients to because it's always a full house everyday here at the hospital," he said.

"Unlike other government ministries which closes at 5pm, ours is 24 hours which means the aircon is always running."