The Ambulatory Care Department is intended for patients who need to undergo minor operations or do a test and for whom it is necessary to remain in the hospital for a few hours after this operation or test.

This department admits adults as well as children and there are 14 beds that can be used up to three times daily.

The department is open from 6:50 AM until 18:00 PM.

The specialist will discuss the operation with the patient beforehand. The patient is not allowed to eat nor drink anything 12 hours prior to the operation. The hospital stay is one of short duration. As soon as the patient has recuperated from the anesthesia and as soon as his/her general condition permits, the patient may be discharged.

The nurses may continue to monitor your situation and give you the necessary care. Normally you are allowed to go home in the course of the day.

The Emergency Department (SEH) is a well-equipped department offering the client c.q. patient first aid and emergency assistance in the medical and paramedical field here in Aruba.

For assistance and treatment of all sorts of trauma, whether brought in by ambulance, by helicopter or by private car, this department is completely equipped. Mention should be made that this department is the only Emergency Department in Aruba for poli-trauma assistance and/or other life threatening illnesses. In addition to this, also family doctors’ patients are treated, but due to organizational innovations, the latter is slowly reducing. For the benefit of examinations and treatment of the patient, wide-ranging attention has been given to a procedure based triage. As to content, beside evaluation of the health care request, this triage involves a high degree of interaction between the Emergency Department and the remaining actors in the emergency medicine in Aruba, with regard to referrals of self-referrers and referred patients gone astray. In general the triage takes place according to the Manchester Triage System, to some extent adapted to our local situation. The Emergency Department is unique in its class in Aruba and renders medical treatment and care to an average of 70.000 patients per year, which after triage prioritizing, is minimized to one third, and referred to other disciplines in light of their non-urgent triage category and the overload of the Emergency Department.

The personnel consist of a total of 25 registered nurses. Most of them have either taken an Emergency Room Training, are in training or are about to commence training. This course is facilitated here in Aruba with the assistance of a Dutch educational program.

There are 7 emergency doctors working shifts to realize the various services, under the guidance of a medical coordinator.

The organization is part of the care cluster function and treatment departments. The complete emergency department consists of a care unit Emergency Room, the Triage Unit, a fast track unit for minor injuries and illnesses, a doctor-on-duty station, an orthopedic section, a unit for endoscopies and the mortuary. The hierarchical structure consists of a head of department, who falls directly under the head of department of the Function and Treatment Departments. Then you have the acting head of department, the ER-specialized nurses who in turn carry the daily operational responsibility in the work station and the nurses in the Emergency Department. As to organization and management, there is a great sense of team spirit, an open communication and excellent cooperation. Two theme days are organized monthly, where procedural objectives and development processes are tackled. There is also a monthly meeting on the discussion of progress presided by the head of department.
In general most of the Aruban patients are able to express themselves in the Dutch language. In order to break the language barrier, language courses are organized by the hospital to master the Papiamento language. Daily practice is a great help toward picking up some understanding of the language. In view of the large group of specialized nurses from Western Europe, the differences in culture are pointed out. Technically one should consider the patient given the large group of immigrants from this part of the world, with relatively innocent cultural differences as to illness/perception of pain, volunteer aid, therapy expectations and perception and the degree of individual responsibility. The Emergency Department is undergoing a fast and positive development as to people, education, material and resources, where a comprehensive renovation of the Emergency Department was completed in 2006.
For additional information on the Emergency Department after reading this site, you may contact this department directly.

Telephone: (+297) 587 0331 or (+297)587 4300
E-mail: seh@arubahospital.com

The Operating Room complex consists of two ‘departments’; surgery and
anesthesia and falls under the Function and Treatment Departments.
The Operating Room complex is a closed department and not accessible to everyone; its personnel work under severe sterile circumstances to minimize any
risk of infection. The operating room personnel wear special clothing, caps, masks and clogs to reduce infection of the environment. The surgical team wears sterile clothing: coats and sterile gloves, reducing the risks of infection to a minimum.

The surgical team assists the surgeon during the operation while the anesthesia personnel assist the anesthetist during anesthesia of the patient. As a patient you
will come more in contact with the anesthetist assistant. They are the ones who
assist you when you enter the Operating Room.

Our Operating Room complex has no separate waiting room where you as a patient can stay prior to undergo operation. Yet the Operating Room complex runs a high volume of surgical interventions that vary in nature. That is why you, as an operating room patient, will notice a great deal of activities around you.

Our operating room complex consists of several disciplines: surgeons, operating-
room assistants, anesthetists, anesthetist’s assistants. Obviously other disciplines are also called in to the operating room when this is deemed necessary; these may be for example radiologists’ assistants. Besides these personnel members, you will notice
co-workers of the Central Sterilization and members of the housekeeping departments in the Operating Room complex as well.

For each operation there are 3 operation assistants, 1 anesthesia operation-assistant, the anesthetist and anesthetist’s assistants.

The personnel of the Surgery department consist of 30 operation-assistants, 3 nursing students and 3 secretaries. Head of the OR-Surgical Department is Mr. Verio Emerenciana and acting head of department is Mrs. Nina Brito-Kelly. Low as well as highly complex operations in the following specializations take place in our departments:

• General Surgery
• Gynecology
• Ophthalmology
• Neurosurgery
• Plastic Surgery
• T.N.E.
• Urology
• Cardiology

Once in awhile also the pediatricians and internists will make use of the
operating room.

The department consists of 5 operating rooms with a poli-clinical ward for eye operations (situated next to the delivery room) that make use of our personnel as
well. Annually we tend to approx. 9700 clinical patients, (admitted in the
HOH) through ambulatory Care or as outpatients.

GOVERNMENT LABORATORY
The Government Laboratory Aruba is divided into several locations and have the following specializations:

• Clinical chemistry and & hematology (Dr. Horacio Oduber Hospital, Oranjestad/Centro Medico San Nicolas)
• Head of Department: Mr. Dr. R. Wever, Clinical chemist
• Pathology (Dr. Horacio Oduber Hospital, Oranjestad)
• Head of Department: Mrs. Dr. C. Texier-Verhelst, pathologist
• Microbiology, consisting of Bacteriology & serology (Dr. Horacio Oduber Hospital, Oranjestad)
• Head of Department: Mr. Dr. W. Salazar, MD-microbiologist
• Administration Accounts Payable (Dr. Horacio Oduber Hospital)
• Medical Administration Pathology (Dr. Horacio Oduber Hospital)
• Administration Accounts Receivable (Oranjestad)
• Financial Administration (Oranjestad)
• Medical Administration Medico (Centro Medico Rudy Engelbrecht)
• Supply Room (Dr. Horacio Oduber Hospital)

 

Blood pricking Stations:

• Blood pricking clinic Dr. Horacio Oduber Hospital, Tel: 58 74300 ext. 239
• Blood pricking clinic Laboratory Oranjestad, Caya Ing. R.H. Lacle #4, Tel: 58 21124/58 21125
• Blood pricking clinic Dakota, Avenida Milio Croes #106 (AHMO Building), Tel: 58 38145
• Blood pricking clinic Laboratory Piedra Plat, Piedra Plat #44-3 (Shon Building), Tel: 58 52230
• Blood pricking clinic Medical Center Rudy Engelbrecht, Pastoor Hendrikstraat #10, San Nicolas, Tel: 58 48812.

Address:
Horacio Oduber Hospital
L.G. Smith Boulevard z/n
Oranjestad
Tel. (+297) 587 4300 ext. 240 (HRM Department)

Head of the Government Laboratory: Mr. R.D.J Franken, M.Sc.
Caya Ing. R.H. Lacle #4
Oranjestad
Tel. (+297) 582 1124

Chemistry & clinical hematology
These specializations are divided between the Dr. Horacio Oduber Hospital in Oranjestad and the Medical Center in San Nicolas. In which case most of the tests are carried out at the hospital. The Medical Center is situated in San Nicolas, where a limited number of tests are carried out. We also have blood pricking stations in Dakota and in Piedra Plat.

Routine Laboratory tests carried out are a.o.:

• Chemistry: Na, K, Li, glucose, creatinine etc.
• ChromatographyFlow Cytometry: Diffen Hb, Ht etc.
• Coagulation: apt, pt etc.
• Manual Diffen
• Receipt of specimen
• Urine Lab: sediments

Microbiological Department
This department is divided between two sections:

• Section infection serology & immune chemistry
• Section bacteriology & parasitology

Section infection serology & immunology
Tests concluded here are:

• Viral serological tests: hepatitis A/B/C, HbsAg, anti HOV, Rubella etc
• Bacterial & parasital serology: ASO, amebas antibody, Chagas IgG etc.
• Serology of auto-immune illnesses: ANF, AMA, ASMA, APCA etc.
• Immune Chemistry: transferine, microalbumine (urine), haptoglobine etc.
• Antibiotic mirrors: gentamicin

Section bacteriology & parasitology
Tests concluded here are:

• Bacteriological tests: Gram specimen, Chlamydia, Legionella etc.
• Micro-bacteriological tests: Ziehl-Neelsen specimen, TB cultures
• Mycological tests: KOH specimen, Cryptococcus, fungi and yeasts
• Parasitological tests: ameba, cysts and work eggs etc.
• Remaining tests: occult blood, pH, digestion etc.

Pathology
Offers room for cytological and histological tests:

• Immune histochemistry: mamma-carcinoma
• Routine histological techniques: such as embedding and cutting of coupes
• Routine histology: coloring such as Giemsa, iron, reticuline etc.
• Cytology: cervix (PAP), non-gynecological diagnosis (punctures, urines etc)
  Obduction: medical/judicial
  

Each year we have approx. 1.300 to 1.450 deliveries at the Dr. Horacio Oduber Hospital. The personnel of the delivery room are competent and critical. The atmosphere in the department is pleasant; there is good cooperation and mutual consultation among the workers, with the nurses and doctors and with the other disciplines.

The visiting hours are from 11:00 until 13:00 and from 17:00 until 20:00 hours.
The parents have nonstop visiting hours from 9 o’clock in the morning until 8 o’clock in the evening, due to parents’ participation. For more information you can contact the secretary of the department, Velma Manuela, verlosafdeling@arubahospital.com

The objective of the Delivery Room Department is:
To guide the mother regarding her personal hygiene
To guide the patient and her partner regarding their baby’s care, so that they will be able to continue this at home.

The delivery room department is divided in 3 nursing units: the evaluation room, the delivery rooms and the Med/High Care Units.

Unit 1, Evaluation Room
In the evaluation room all patients will be evaluated upon arrival.
A routine check will be carried out on the patient by her doctor or midwife, on a patient with a pregnancy problem or on the patient who believes to be ‘in partum’. Evaluation consists in: mutual exchange of information, C.T.G. and vital signs check. Followed by a consultation with the professional involved on the course of action to pursue or whether the patient will be sent home. In emergency cases the patient will be sent directly to the Delivery Room.

Unit 2, Delivery Rooms
Between every 2 delivery rooms is a baby reception room. Each one is equipped with the proper tools for the specialist. In principle, only patients who are ‘in partum’ will be in the delivery rooms. Also those patients who need to be induced. Here we offer general assistance, guidance, support and care of the pregnant woman and her partner and immediate family prior, during and after partum.
Also the general treatment and care of the newborn until its transfer to the Maternity Ward.

Unit 3, Medium/High Care
Here are the Medium to High Care patients with a.o.:
 Unsettled diabetes
 Growth retardation of the baby
 Infection of the urinary tract
 H.E.L.L.P syndrome
 Premature breaking of the water
 Observation after car accident and/or other trauma
 Unstable pelvis
Other unstable situations that may endanger mother and/or child as well.

In Aruba we have a multicultural community and it may sometimes occur that we have more Latino children and parents on the ward. The language can become a barrier in such cases. Our goal is to offer medical care, nursing care and guidance in the best possible way. This is why we have parents’ participation, an option the parents actively avail themselves of.

On the pediatric ward our focus is on the patient. Our pedagogic co-workers guide the children and keep them busy to divert their minds, reducing any possible traumatic consequences of their hospitalization to a minimum. If so desired, the department also assists with home-work guidance.

On the pediatric ward, we work with two teams rotating on a monthly basis. One team is responsible for the incubator units and baby room and the other team is responsible for the isolation unit.

The pediatric ward is divided in 3 units. Among other:

Isolation Unit: 10 beds with a stretch to hold 12 beds.
Ward: 7 beds with a stretch to hold 10 beds.
Incubator Unit: 5 incubators with the possibility for 2
with artificial respiration.
Baby room: 6 beds.

Personnel:
Head of Department
Veronica Vermeulen

2 team leaders
5 pediatricians
12 nurses
1 orderly
1 nurses aid
2 pedagogic co-workers
1 department secretary
1 nurses aid in charge of transportation
2 department’s assistants

Other disciplines working in the department as well:
Food assistants and housekeeping employees.

Patients
The patients fall in the age category of 0 up to 14 years.
The most common illnesses in our department are:
 Bronchitis / Bronchiolitis
 Bronchopneumonia
 Gastroenteritis
 Gastritis
 Asthmatic patients

 

In this department patients with chronic or acute kidney failures are treated with an artificial kidney. The patients will come to the hospital for treatment 3 times a week. The duration of such a treatment is of approx. 3 to 4 hours. Afterwards the patients return home. This takes place on fixed days from Monday to and including Saturday.

The most acute dialysis treatments take place on the Intensive Care or on the Medium care departments. During treatment the patients are being strictly monitored by the nurses, who will intervene if problems arise. Also the nephrologist is present for acute cases.

The peritoneal dialysis treatment also transpires in the hospital and takes place in the trailer. These patients are trained in the hospital and will be able to carry out these treatments at home on their own. First a tube is inserted in the patient’s abdomen, so that he will be able to do the changing with special liquids on his own.

The patients are hooked to a machine with needles or by using a catheter. The machine will carry out the procedures and the nurses check the machines and the patients every hour. Should any problem arise, the nurses will intervene and if necessary call the doctor. At the end of the treatment the patients will be disconnected and the blood given back to the patients. The needles will be removed and the patients will be able to return home afterwards.

Working hours:
Monday, Wednesday and Friday 07:00 – 22:00
Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday 07:00 – 19:00

Treatment days:
Monday, Wednesday and Friday 07:00 – 12:30 - 16:30
Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday 07:30 – 13:30

Head of Department:
Name: Arthur Roosberg
Telephone: (+297) 587 4300
E-mail: arthurrilely@arubahospital.com

Acting Head of Department:
Name: Merdeith Pabon-Ras
Telephone: (+297) 587 4300

Blood Bank Foundation Aruba:
The Blood Bank Foundation Aruba, in its present format (as a foundation) was established on January 1, 1981. The objective of the Blood bank is to, in the safest way possible, supply blood products when this is required to the patients in need of blood at the Dr. Horacio Oduber Hospital.

The Blood Bank and Transfusion Service consist of 4 integral sections: the donor section, the section for the processing of blood components, the laboratory and the administration. The laboratory is subdivided in one section for immune hematology and viral serology. Moreover, the Blood Bank offers the following services to the hospital: Aphaeresis, Cell-saver and ambulatory blood transfusion to outpatients. The latter –however- to a rather limited extent.

The Blood Bank exists, thanks to a total of at least 4.500 volunteers on a population of approx. 100.000. The regular donors are called in 2 to 3 times a year (sometimes even 4x) to donate each time ½ liter (500ml) of their blood, depending on their blood type and/or Rhesus factor. All donors, be it new or regular ones, receive a health questionnaire to fill out each time they come in to give blood and are tested each time again on HIV, Hepatitis B and C, HTLV and syphilis. To be eligible to become a donor, a volunteer should be between the ages of 18 to 65, be in good health and practicing a healthy lifestyle. The donor is not allowed to weigh less than 50 kilo (110 lbs) and must have a hemoglobin percentage of at least 12.5 g/dl (38% hematocrit). A donor is permitted to give blood by virtue of the guidelines until his 70th birthday if he is in good health.

The several blood components made in the Blood Bank on a daily basis, are: red blood cells (packed), freshly frozen plasma, and thrombocytes (blood platelets). The largest demand is for blood cells; this product helps an anemic patient to raise the level of his/her low blood iron. About 3000 transfusions of red blood cells are requested by the Dr. Horacio Hospital each year. Red blood cells can be kept up to 35 days in the refrigerators of the Blood Bank at a temperature of approx. 2-6 degrees Celsius. Freshly frozen plasma can be kept up to one year in a freezer at a temperature of at least -18 degrees Celsius.
Thrombocytes last only 5 days at room temperature, between 20-22 degrees Celsius in a thrombocytes-mixer. The last 2 blood products are only requested for patients with clotting problems.

 

The personnel of the Blood Bank consist of:
1 Medical Director
1 Department Manager
1 Registered nurse
3 Medical Technicians
1 Secretary

Working at the Blood bank is fascinating, but has many challenges as well; among other things you will learn how to perform additional technical proceedings and how to take responsibility. Moreover, you will have to be flexible to adapt to unexpected situations.

The opening hours of the Blood Bank are from Monday to Friday from 8.00 to 16.00 hrs.
You may contact the Blood Bank by:
Telephone (297 58 74260
Fax: (297) 58 72174
E-mail: bloed@setarnet.aw
Contact persons are Vivian Lampe, department manager and Dr. O. Anaya, medical director.

On the Intensive Care patients with disorder of the vital functions are treated and monitored. Here we have the possibility to support these vital functions and if possible to replace them. To this end, we avail ourselves of complex technical tools and a specialized medical and nursing team in an area especially equipped for this purpose.

The department has 5 beds. The patient population consists of patients with a rather divergent pathology whereby potential recuperation of the malfunctioning or failing vital function(s) and, the related benefit of the admission, are the most important characteristics. The Intensive care team consists of an intensive care specialist, IC-nurses, a department secretary and a department assistant.

Admission/stay and discharge of patients:
The specialist who sends in the patient is responsible for the admission of the patient, and in consultation with the IC-specialist it will be determined whether the patient will be admitted on the IC.
All patients are discussed in a multidisciplinary meeting and the IC-specialist formulates the procedure in consultant with the patient’s doctor. Frequent assessment of the admission indication is imperative with many patients in order to maximize the admission capacity. In general a patient may be discharged from the IC when the vital functions no longer need support and or treatment. Through a patient assignment system the patients are placed with the nurses.

The management consists of Dr. Benjamin Croes as Medical Head of Department, George Rodriguez as Head Nurse and Andie Philip as acting Head Nurse.
Organizational Structure:
The special care department consists of sub departments:
• Intensive Care Unit
• Coronary Care Unit/Medium Care Unit
• Cardiology/ Shortstay department

General Department – Medium Care or Coronary Care
On the CCU/mcu mostly patients suffering from coronary and cardiac failures are admitted. Here we have the possibility to observe and support failing vital functions and if possible, replace them. To this end, we avail ourselves of complex technical tools and of a specialized medical and nursing team in an area especially equipped for this purpose.

The department has 5 beds, of which 4 are for cardiology, 1 for neurology and in times of shortage and in an emergency, patients from other specializations are admitted as well. The patient population sometimes consists of patients with a rather divergent pathology whereby potential recuperation of the malfunctioning or failing vital function(s) are strived after. Only in cases of emergency artificial respiration will be applied to patients on the CCU/mcu. The CCU/mcu team consists of cardiologists, IC/CCU-registered nurses and assistants.

Admission/stay and discharge of patients:
The specialist who sends in the patient is responsible for the admission of the patient, and the cardiologist determines in consultation with the patient’s doctor whether the patient will be admitted on the CCU/mcu. Frequent assessment of the admission indication is imperative with many patients in order to maximize the admission capacity. In general a patient may be discharged from the CCU/mcu when the vital functions no longer need support and or treatment. Through a patient assignment system the patients are placed with the nurses.

The supervision consists of George Rodriguez as Head Nurse and Anthonie Tromp as acting Head Nurse.

Organizational Structure:
The special care department consists of sub departments:
• Coronary Care Unit/Medium Care Unit
• Intensive Care Unit
• Cardiology/ Shortstay department