by Linda Straker
- USNS Comfort doctors compliant with Grenada’s Health Practitioners legislation
- Minister Nickolas Steele hopeful that no less than 500 persons will visit per day
- Wound care, urology, orthopaedic, eye care and general surgery, etc on offer
Dr Francis Martin, Senior Medical Officer in the Ministry of Health, has confirmed that the doctors who will be offering their service aboard the USNS Comfort while it is in Grenada are in compliance with the Health Practitioners legislation.
That legislation mandates that all persons offering medical and dental services must first be registered with the Licensing Council. It was approved by both Houses of Parliament in 2010 and came into force on 1 March 2012.
“They meet the requirements of the licensing council,” Dr Martin said when asked to confirm that the more than 250 doctors who will be offering medical services from 15-20 September 2019 are complying with the legislation. The legislation provides for the Licensing Council to offer different categories of registrations including “conditional” and “temporary license.”
Linda Taglialatela, United States Ambassador to the OECS and Barbados says that the 2019 USNS Comfort deployment to the region is one way the United States is honouring its promise of support for the people of Venezuela and for citizens of countries throughout the Western Hemisphere.
The ship which is a floating hospital will be berthed in St George’s outer harbour due to its massive size and patients requiring surgery aboard will be taken via boat or airlift. Taglialatela said that in other countries where the ship has visited, the doctors had between 1,000 and 1,800 visits per day.
“We are going to maximise the benefit of this visit,” said Health Minister Nickolas Steele who is hopeful that no less than 500 persons will visit the doctors per day.
The ship began a five-month deployment to several Latin American and Caribbean states. From Grenada it moves onto St Lucia and St Kitts and Nevis from 25-30 September and 5-10 October respectively.
Besides surgeries that will be done onboard the ship, doctors from the ship will be holding daily clinics at the National Stadium and at the Grenada Trade Centre.
There will be on offer healthcare in several areas including wound care, urology, orthopaedic, eye care and general surgery.
USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) is owned by the US Navy but is operated by civilians. Her sister ship is the USNS Mercy. (T-AH 19)
Cilvian are not allowed on milatary ship Navy police Navy has it’s own doctor Navy doesn’t need any police doctor are contractor any where near