0

NEW FUNDS VITAL IN HEALTH CRISIS: Years of underfunding hospitals and staff has left system on its knees

Princess Margaret Hospital. (File photo)

Princess Margaret Hospital. (File photo)

photo

FNM chairman Dr Duane Sands.

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Health Minister Dr Duane Sands says the country needs to find sustainable funding to address many of the long-standing challenges plaguing the public healthcare system.

He spoke after health officials raised alarms about overcrowding at the Princess Margaret Hospital.

During a press conference on Thursday, Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville told reporters the hospital was “bursting from the seams” due to a major influx of non COVID-19 patients.

He said some 52 people were waiting to be admitted into the hospital on Thursday, some of whom had to be transferred to Doctor’s Hospital West later that day.

Speaking with The Tribune yesterday, Dr Sands said the harsh reality is the current model being used to address health concerns in the country is “broken”.

 He said many of the problems in public health are not new, but were just exacerbated due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 To address these challenges, the former Cabinet minister said the country needs to “find a way for sustainable funding for our public healthcare system,” adding the situation at both PMH and the Rand Memorial Hospital cannot continue.

 “I think that the fundamental problem of Princess Margaret Hospital and the Public Hospital Authority - because this problem also is found at the Rand - is a capacity issue and it’s a funding issue and this has been a problem now for decades,” he said.

photo

HEALTH and Wellness Minister Michael Darville.

 “The system promises to deliver, but it’s not given the tools to deliver and so let me give a shout out to all of the people who do the best that they can, every single day, in incredibly adverse and challenging circumstances.

 “But if you start with a situation at the Public Hospitals Authority it is underfunded annually by about $35m or $40m, then you understand why maintenance is a challenge and new equipment is a challenge and why improved terms of engagement for certain level of the staff is a problem and why we have not enough pharmacists, radiologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, etc.

‘What ends up happening is because this system is functioning on the edge... so if you get a few extra COVID patients, a few extra gunshot wound patients, a few people call in sick, etc, the ripple effect is magnified.”

 The Free National Movement chairman also highlighted the need for more manpower in public health, saying the country has not invested enough in this regard.

 “Right now, the shortage is not in buildings, but it is in people and I’m not talking about support staff,” Dr Sands continued. “Unless you stop the bleeding in terms of registered nurses, your healthcare system will be in peril.

 “The situation with registered nurses in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas it is at a crisis level and has been so for some time and this requires urgent, deliberate attention. We started the process - and I certainly recognised how important it is - but we didn’t go far enough and if we don’t go far enough, we will see more public clinics shut down and more Family Island clinics shut down and less services offered to Bahamians, etc.”

 Dr Darville has previously committed the government to addressing the nursing and bed shortages.

 He also promised that the Davis administration will build two new “state of the art” hospitals as highlighted in its Blueprint for Change.

 “The Princess Margaret Hospital is one of those campuses. We will create another campus and a feasibility study for that facility is near completion for that here in New Providence,” the health minister said on Friday.

 “I’ve indicated that there were two potential sites. Those sites are being completed and once they are completed and we believe that the sites are capable of handling the additional campus, we will begin to notify the Bahamian people of the next step.

 “But while we’re speaking, we’re making steady progress for the new hospital in Grand Bahama, which is also challenged. I’m pleased to report to the media that all of the geo technical studies have been done and my next step would be to survey the land,” he said.

Comments

BMW 2 years, 2 months ago

Guarantee you politicians over the years have not been underfunded!!!!!!!!!!

tribanon 2 years, 2 months ago

Bingo!

And to think many of those among the corrupt and incompetent political ruling class, who are fully responsible for our country's failed public health system, have grown-up children who were educated in the U.S. and are now working as medical doctors and nurses in U.S., e.g., our very own PM's daughter. What a joke!

bahamianson 2 years, 2 months ago

Wow, we are just a mess!! This is sad news but not surprising news. Anything dealing with the government system is sad. We lose money, money Is stolen , and money is mismanaged . No one goes to jail, no one is fired and business as usual. Happy Independence.

yeahyasee 2 years, 2 months ago

Couldn't agree more. Happy Independence! LOL

OMG 2 years, 2 months ago

Once had a bill at PMH and went to accounts to pay it. Lady eventually traced outstanding account and was taken aback that someone wanted to pay their bill.. Second time as an inpatient , went private. What a total disgrace. Room with AC directed at bed, unable to turn off. No way of turning bedside light or any light for that matter on or off from bed, Shower dirty inoperative-was given a jug of hot water. Sink leaked. Milk on cereal sour on both occasions. Staff heard laughing and talking down corridor, NEVER came to check on me. Asthma attack early hours of morning and must have got the dumbest nurse in creation who would not believe me. After gasping for breath and my wife pleading the doctor on duty was called and immediately put me on inhaled medication. To be fair, it is beyond the ability for the working nurses to effect changes at the physical building level but it was an experience never to be repeated. Of course the politicians never get subjected to this deplorable state of public medicine.

tribanon 2 years, 2 months ago

For years now PMH has been (and continues to be) a killing machine. This is why members of our corrupt, incompetent and elitist political ruling class so quickly flee to a U.S. hospital whenever they become seriously ill, e.g., our very own PM when he was first diagnosed last year as having COVID-19. And to add insult to injury, Bahamian taxpayers are paying the exorbitant health insurance premiums for the first class medical insurance coverage our elected government officials and their family members enjoy.

CoolCatBD 2 years, 2 months ago

They should start selling, top up shot of C19 vaccine, for people who does not want to wait for the free full shot. People that can feel their protection fading, would pay for a top up vaccine shot, every two to three mouths! This money could be used to fund the hospitals.

joeblow 2 years, 2 months ago

... this is absolute nonsense! Money is being wasted and the Bahamian people are not the beneficiaries!

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2015/nov…

DDK 2 years, 2 months ago

Stop the stealing and misappropriation of funds, Doc. Learn to MANAGE the health care facilities! If incapable, import capable personnel.

Economist 2 years, 2 months ago

Extra money is NOT NEEDED. A few years ago the auditor was unable to find where 25% of the money was going in the PHA.

Clean up the PHA and you will find an extra $100 million plus a year. $100 million plus can do a great deal.

Fix the problem, don't through more money at it. If we spend more, very little if any, will be used for health and you will still be crying for money.

Clean up the PHA!

tribanon 2 years, 2 months ago

They're looking to get extra money from wherever they can because they're now having great difficulty finding enough cookies to fill their own pockets, let alone the pockets of their family members, financial-backers, crony friends, and lovers. It seems all of the cookie jars are empty and no one's able or willing to refill them.

tribanon 2 years, 2 months ago

P.S.: One can only imagine what must be going on at Bank of The Bahamas (BoB) all over again. I almost forget about that favourite cookie jar still being under the control of government, more specifically our PM who also officially serves as minister of finance. Not good!

rosiepi 2 years, 2 months ago

If this Gov't cannot even pay the rank and file of workers at the AA, if they cannot pay healthcare workers while they play shell games with promises unfulfilled, how the heck are they going to build two hospitals?

Sign in to comment