“HAS often experiences an increase in the number of premature babies that come for care in the autumn months – a phenomenon whose cause has not yet been discovered, but which HAS Head of Pediatrics and neonatologist Dr. Maurice Toussaint has observed for years. This Fall, the increase has been sharp: we currently have 19 premature babies in the neonatal ward alone, plus others admitted for other reasons. Normally, the neonatal ward is equipped for 12 patients.
HAS Head of Pediatrics and neonatologist Dr. Maurice Toussaint says, “We are doing everything that we can to treat all of the babies that come. This means we are using whatever free rooms and beds we can find. Our staff are extremely busy attending to all of the needs for these critical cases.”
The average length of stay for a neonate in the ward is 8 days (twice the average length of stay for the hospital as a whole), though some may require care lasting several weeks. Despite limited staff and materials, HAS will always use the means that we have to ensure that we treat each of our patients with compassion and expertise for as long as it takes to bring our patients back to health.”