Tupua Tamasese Meaole hospital

A visit by the Samoan Observer last week observed what it called the sorry state of the hospital facilities.

The conditions found included broken and leaking ceilings, moulded air conditioning, broken beds, not enough beds for all the sick patients and restrooms in an unsanitary state.

The Observer also found there were not enough beds in maternity.

Efforts by the newspaper to obtain comments from the Ministry of Health Director General have not been successful.

The New Zealand funded plant means the Ministry of Health will no longer be relying on American Samoa for the supply of life saving oxygen.

Speaking at the commissioning, Minister of Health Valasi Tafito Selesele said Samoa has relied on supplies from American Samoa at the height of the measles pandemic and continuing with the coronavirus pandemic.

The change in status is the result of fewer cases of measles being presented across the country following an epidemic late last year.

During the measles crisis, the outpatient’s ward was transformed into an isolation room to accommodate measles patients as the number increased.

According to a nurse at the outpatient ward who did not want to be identified, the return to normality in the ward is sweet melody to the ears of the nurses and the people of Samoa.

The tender was advertised for public interest and 18 companies submitted applications of bids.

The Sub Committee conducted an assessment of the bids according to their visits to interested companies to make sure that the products are of good and appropriate quality.

After the assessments a recommendation was submitted to Cabinet for the final decision.

The companies selected range from meat and fish suppliers, bakery to wholesalers.

The following companies have been awarded the contract:

The team comprising of specialists from Australia and New Zealand will be in Tupua Tamasese Meaole (TTM) Hospital in Apia from 11–15 September 2017.

The team will be led by Dr Benjamin Norris and will include two plastic surgeons, one anaesthetist, two nurses and a physiotherapist.

The Interplast medical team will conduct a consultation clinic on Monday, September 11th at 8:30am in the outpatient’s clinic at the TTM Hospital.

Plastic and reconstructive surgery will be performed at TTM Hospital from 12 - 15 September.

Talamua online reports patients in the Acute 7 and 8 wards of the Tupua Tamasese Meaole hospital were moved out and relocated to the hospital's pharmacy and outpatient areas.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Fire and Emergency Service Authority, Lelevaga Faafouina Mupo, said the smoke coming from the fire was serious and precautions needed to be made.

He says the control room will need to be rebuilt.

Lelevaga says the firefighters used a lot of fire extinguisher powder to spray the machines in the room, but flames already destroyed the interior of the room.