The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

HEALTH Minister Dr Duane Sands yesterday expressed empathy for health professionals at Rand Memorial Hospital and their concerns regarding the suitability of the field tent hospital which is temporarily housing patients.

He indicated that hospital renovations will recommence today to complete hurricane repairs.

“All contractors will be back in the Rand... to get the work finished,” Dr Sands said. “In the meantime, we will have to deal with Samaritan’s Purse. The (tent hospital) facility is not the same as the hospital. And we have to acknowledge that people have been through a lot and we have to be very empathetic and look at the concerns and try to address them,” Dr Sands said.

On Sunday, severe weather conditions in Grand Bahama left the 40-bed field hospital battered and patients and staff unsettled.

Dr Sands reported the tents are still operational and that no one was injured. “But we had those videos circulating and stories of people petrified,” he added.

He noted all patients and staff have now been moved out of the tents to the IAT Building and the Rand.

“Having the Samaritan’s Purse tent is not ideal, but we have to remember how we got there – the Rand was virtually damaged,” he explained.

The government had started the process of repairing the Rand building, which is more than 50 years old, after Hurricane Dorian. However, work was postponed following the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Sands said.

“Staff that was working on repairing (the hospital) had to leave the country because of COVID-19, and we were building out the COVID-19 facility. A few weeks ago, GB was deep into COVID-19 seeing an outbreak, luckily they have settled down,” he said.

In the meantime, Dr Sands said the SP tent is still operational, and patients and staff are only relocated temporarily to the IAT Building and the Rand for now.

Hospital Administrator Sharon Williams, during an interview with ZNS Northern Service, said officials are “gravely” concerned about the situation that occurred on Sunday. She noted that the tents are not designed for extremely high winds.

“They can withstand up to 70mph winds, we were told,” Ms Williams said. “So, what we must do is watch the weather very closely about wind strengths and hurricanes threatening us and make sure we move our staff to various facilities that we have identified.”

A representative from the Bahamas Nurses Union who was contacted Tuesday said that their concerns regarding the tent hospital have been forwarded to the relevant authorities.

Dr Sands said he is aware there are concerns. “Many people cannot tolerate things anymore because of the trauma they’ve been through, and we have to be sensitive to that,” he said.

Turning to COVID-19 cases on Grand Bahama, Dr Sands said that there have been no new cases for some two weeks in Grand Bahama.

“I am grateful, but hope it is sustained. GB has had a good run of 16 days now. Two weeks ago, I would not have the same response, but let us hope it is sustained so we have no more challenges,” he said.

“We have had persons who died in GB. We should have hopeful guarded optimism as we liberalise and start to open the economy carefully,” Dr Sands said.

He also commended the health team in Grand Bahama. “I want to thank the surveillance team, GBHS, and the staff that have managed the situation; they have performed admirably,” he said.