Nineteen of the island's 23 public hospitals are now offering full services according to Dr. Marion Bullock-DuCasse, director of emergency, disaster management and special services in the Ministry of Health.

The hospitals were forced to scale down operations and only accept emergency cases, as a result of Hurricane Dean, which battered the island on Sunday.

Full service by weekend

Dr. Bullock-DuCasse said full services, would be available in the other hospitals by the end of the week, when it is expected that power and water would be restored.

She noted that the National Emergency Centre in Kingston responded to 24 cases of emergency in Kingston and St. Andrew during the hurricane, two of which were pregnant women who had to be airlifted by helicopter.

All the patients, she said, are alive and recovering well.

Meanwhile, several health facilities across the island were damaged as a result of Hurricane Dean. Hospitals with roof damage include Bustamante Hospital for Children, Bellevue Hospital, National Chest Hospital, University Hospital of the West Indies, Sir John Golding Rehabilitation Centre and Linstead Hospital.

Dr. Bullock-DuCasse said the X-ray and medical records departments at the Black River Hospital, St. Elizabeth, received structural damage. The roofs of the Yallahs and May Pen health centres were destroyed.

Dr. Bullock-DuCasse said a rapid assessment team has been deployed to assess other areas across the island.

In the meantime, she noted that temporary repairs will be effected to these facilities, and a special team is expected to complete an estimate of the damage by tomorrow.

Hospitals offering full services

North Eastern Region

St. Ann's Bay

Port Antonio

Port Maria

Western Region

Noel Holmes

Cornwall Regional

Falmouth

Lucea

Savanna-la-Mar

South Eastern Region

Bellevue

National Chest

Linstead

Sir John Golding

Spanish Town

University Hospital of the West Indies - to resume full service today.

Southern Region

Mandeville

Black River

May Pen

Percy Junor

Lionel Town