The “Transition Facility,” formerly referred to as a “step-down” facility, will be open for service after February 2023, reported Minister Gaafar Uherbelau of the Ministry of Health and Human Services.
The “transition facility” refers to the new wing at the Belau National Hospital that was constructed to house individuals that have completed their hospital care but have no place to return to.
“The building was completed earlier but we turned it into a COVID-19 isolation ward when we had to isolate COVID patients,” explained Hospital Administrator Darnelle Worswick.
Regulations and guidelines for the use of the “transition” facility are being formulated at this time, according to Minister Uherbelau. “We have to determine where the funding for the facility comes from, whether it’s MSA or other sources, that is still to be determined, and that is why we say it will be after February 2023,” added Uherbelau.
Currently, Belau National Hospital has an isolation ward equipped for contagious diseases and has recently completed the construction of the new fully self-contained ICU Isolation Unit, a project funded through JICA.