The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

Doctor’s Hospital’s top executive yesterday warned that care for non-COVID patients is “under threat” as pandemic sufferers drive bed occupancy levels at its main hospital to near 80 percent.

Dr Charles Diggiss, pictured, Doctors Hospital’s president and largest shareholder, told the Eleuthera Business Outlook conference that “the space is very narrow” with regard to the hospital having sufficient capacity to take care of patients’ COVID and non-COVID needs.

“At Doctor’s Hospital East, our main facility, which can take up to 47 patients, we have 34. Twenty-four of those patients are admitted for COVID, and 13 patients are currently on the ventilator at Doctor’s Hospital East,” he added.

“I think it’s hugely important for us to appreciate that the capacity and space that’s left is very narrow, and some would argue that we have extended our safe capacity within the Doctor’s Hospital Health System.”

Dr Diggiss explained that the care demands created by the latest COVID-19 case surge, with increasing numbers of Bahamians requiring hospital treatment and ventilators, is that it is sucking resources away from treatments for individuals with other illnesses and non-communicable diseases.

He said: “We are in a surge. We are in a summer wave. We are most definitely in a ramp-up. All indicators are that this particular episode is showing high transmissibility, increased virulence and is carrying a greater sickness and death toll.

“Our hospital care resources are continually at or beyond capacity, both the public and private hospital. COVID care remains the reason for hospital care for most of our patients. You will see from the earlier numbers that we’re currently running around 80 percent occupancy for COVID. That means the provision of safe care for our non-COVID patients continue to be under threat.”

Warning that vaccination is the only way to ensure persons have a strong chance of surviving COVID-19, Dr Diggiss warned against fake news and scepticism about the efficacy of the various vaccines. He is encouraging persons to continue social distancing and mask wearing.

“So, what has happened to non-COVID care if it’s been so marginalised by this overwhelming utilisation and this overwhelming application of our capacity for COVID?” Dr Diggiss asked. “What we anticipate is that there will be more advanced stages of other diseases and their complications to manage between the surges.

“The end organ diseases, especially when you think about the heart, heart attacks, the brain strokes, kidneys, chronic kidney failure requiring dialysis, eyes, blindness and circulation; whether it’s the threat of loss of limb from uncontrolled chronic, non communicable diseases, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, etc.

“They continue in the background with or without COVID, and delayed care simply means that we can anticipate that patients would access important care to control these diseases later. We will start to see more and more complications, resulting in more and more and organ dysfunction, damage or failure.”