RDH asks for understanding over new visiting hours during COVID-19 crisis

THE Royal Darwin Hospital is asking for understanding over its decision to restrict visiting hours

The Royal Darwin Hospital is asking for understanding over its decision to restrict visiting hours

THE Royal Darwin Hospital is asking for understanding over its decision to restrict visiting hours.

RDH’s director of medical services, Dr Keith Forrest, said the restriction of hours was happening in hospitals all around the world and it was important for people to understand RDH was doing it reluctantly.

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“People will be aware now that we have restricted the hospital visiting hours,” he said.

“We have done this reluctantly because we know how important it is for sick people in the hospital to be visited by their friends and loved ones.

“We have restricted the hours now down to two sessions of two hours each from 10am to noon, and from 5pm to 7pm in the evening.

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“It is to prevent the spread of coronavirus and protect the patients, even though we know we don’t have community transmission yet.

“This is a preventive measure that we have put in place to ensure that we reduce the very small risk of anyone accessing the hospital who could have coronavirus.

“While we don’t have community-spread coronavirus in the Northern Territory it is an international trend to reduce traffic through the hospital for the safety of vulnerable patients in the hospital.”

Dr Forrest said RDH also recognised there would be points of difference to consider.

“We are always responsive to individual cases,” he said.

“What I have said about restricting visiting hours doesn’t apply to the same level to maternity cases, for the parents of children in the hospital, and of course those occasions when someone is very unwell or in the palliative care.”