The Management of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital acknowledged some members of the kitchen staff walked off the job around 4:00 p.m. Thursday and did not take up their positions at the start of the 6:00 a.m. shift on Friday.

However, the contingency plan which was put in place when the island was impacted by Tropical Storm Tomas in 2010 was activated. That plan involved the use of relief staff comprising supervisors, cooks, general workers and porters in addition to permanent employees who stayed on to ensure that the meal service continued.

All patients have been receiving their meals and that would continue until the situation is alleviated.

Management admitted they’re aware of the heat conditions in the kitchen and says they’re working to ensure that the extractor fans would be installed as soon as possible. In the interim, Management has provided cooling relief the provision of nine industrial fans and three evaporative fans.

Presently, the two extractor fans which were ordered are in the Bridgetown Port and efforts are ongoing to have them cleared as soon as possible.

In the meantime, the relief teams would continue working over the weekend and normal operations in the kitchen would resume as soon as is practicably possible.