A lot of devastation has been left behind as a legacy by Hurricane Ike the effects of which are still being felt in Galveston Island which faced its fury two months ago. One of the most significant developments is the laying off of at least 3800 employees by Galveston’s biggest employer the University of Texas Medical Branch.
According to newspaper reports, John Sealey Hospital which is the main branch of the complex has lost most of its use. This hospital includes a defense research centre and a major trauma center.
A major portion of the building has been destroyed by the Hurricane and all that remains is the maternity ward according to a report in Times. Jobs have been cut in a bid to start rebuilding the damaged medical school and hospital which has been losing at least $40 million every month since it was hit early September by Hurricane Ike.
Neither the State nor the US government has so far provided the institution with any financial aid or emergency aid according to the Vice president, Hospitals and clinics of the University of Texas, Karen H. Sexton. Though we are forced to cut down on our staff until we receive aid, we are committed in our mission to provide quality health care even though we are forced to operate in a smaller scale now, she said.
With these current job cuts, at least one third of the medical center’s workers will be jobless unless the State or the US government provides the center with aid enough to enable them to come out of their present crisis.
