In January, Horacio Oduber Hospital (HOH) shared a compilation of what happened in 2023, and now, in the spirit of transparency and information, they continue to provide the figures for January 2024.
In this way, HOH gives the Aruba community an indication of the healthcare situation, diagnostic aspects, and blood donations.
In January 2024, 882 patients were hospitalized, which is higher than in December (819 patients) but similar to November 2023. A comparable aspect is the number of surgeries performed; in January, 540 patients underwent surgery, compared to 397 surgeries in December 2023 and 566 surgeries in November.
A reduction in admission and surgery figures for December is noticeable, and one of the reasons behind this is that the operation schedule typically takes an annual year-end break. Consequently, fewer surgeries take place in December, leading to fewer admissions.
What is alarming to the community is the bed occupancy, which was 99.9% in January. In November 2023, it was 79%, and in December, it was 89.7%. It was announced in January that the hospital was very full, and there might even be cancellations of planned surgeries because they always need to keep beds available for emergency cases. This is evident in the bed occupancy figures.
A total of 75 babies were born in January, which is 3 fewer than in December. In January, the Blood Bank of Aruba received a total of 196 blood donations.
The Emergency Department saw a total of 2953 patients in January, which is fewer than December, where there were 3262 patients.
Specialists in the HOH service conducted a total of 6675 consultations with patients, which is higher than December (5657 patients). This is also related to the year-end holiday days.
The Radiology Department conducted a total of 5145 tests, such as CT scans, MRI, and more. This figure is higher than December (4122) and also higher than November (4651). A total of 12272 people visited LABHOH for tests, which is higher than December (9120) and November (11453). In January, a total of 841 patients were discharged from the hospital.
Thus, the figures for January show a different scenario compared to December in various areas, but it is also evident how full the hospital was in January.
Thanks to all caregivers for their tremendous work and professionalism, and words of gratitude to those working behind the scenes to provide assistance in healthcare at HOH.
