Fire at Mental Hospital

KINGSTOWN, St Vincent, January 6, 2010 - Operations at the St Vincent's Mental Health Centre are returning to normal following a Monday night fire.

The blaze destroyed one of the facility's three main wings which housed male patients. No one was injured.

Health Minister Dr Douglas Slater said that because of the intensity of the fire and the smoke, 46 females and 28 males were evacuated from the hospital which houses a total of 183 patients.

He said many of them have already been returned to the hospital.

Others are being housed temporarily at health centres and other facilities across the country.



The Health Minister has also appealed to relatives of patients to help with taking in those who can be properly managed at home, with the assistance of the community staff of the hospital.