The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement Chairman Dr Duane Sands said the reported failure to provide a sign language interpreter to a deaf patient at Princess Margaret Hospital was “very much” a violation of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities) Act, accusing the government of failing to uphold legal standards for accessible healthcare.

Responding to a Tribune report, the former minister of health said the case exposed both a breach of legal obligations and wider systemic failures in how vulnerable patients are treated in the public healthcare system.

“What is true is a consistent test of civil society is how you treat your vulnerable and disabled,” Dr Sands said yesterday.

“It is a measure of the level of concern, but also the state of affairs. And so if there is systemic or state-sanctioned neglect of the vulnerable, the disabled, the impaired, then it gives you an idea of the overall decline in the country, and so we are in a sad state right now where the disabled community is speaking out this way.”

Ginika Gibson, a culturally deaf patient, was reportedly unable to communicate with healthcare providers or understand her treatment after a car accident at Princess Margaret Hospital. Her initial request for an interpreter was rejected.

The Bahamas National Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing said interpreter access was treated as non-essential, with communication instead routed through her next of kin, even though she was a competent adult.

Interpreter Tamiko Brown said she initially faced resistance from staff and was told her services were not needed. When she eventually reached Ms Gibson, she found her in pain, confused, and unaware she was receiving medication through an IV.

Ms Brown also said mask-wearing prevented lip-reading and criticised the reliance on Ms Gibson’s mother to make medical decisions, saying it undermined her autonomy.

The BNADHH warned that such failures can prevent informed consent and increase the risk of misdiagnosis and improper treatment. The group called for interpreters to be recognised as essential in healthcare settings, along with national funding, enforcement of accessibility laws, and mandatory deaf awareness training.

It also noted that between three and five percent of the population is deaf or hard of hearing, meaning thousands of Bahamians could face similar barriers when accessing public services.

Under the Act, people with disabilities are entitled to the same standard of healthcare and access to information as others, with services required to be delivered in accessible formats. The law also defines discrimination to include the denial of reasonable accommodation, such as communication support.

Dr Sands said the reported handling of Ms Gibson’s case, particularly the failure to prioritise direct communication and interpreter access, ran counter to those requirements.

He said routing communication through Ms Gibson’s mother despite her being an independent adult raised concerns. While next of kin can play an important role for children, the elderly, or incapacitated patients, he said it should not replace direct engagement with competent adults.

“You provide care by whatever means necessary, but as a general standard, understand that you ought to make sure that the patient is able to communicate effectively,” he said.

“Sometimes next of kin is important, particularly when people are infirm, or when they are elderly or when they are young, right? So, infants, young children, you have to rely on the next of kin, and oftentimes, a mother, not always, but most commonly, a mother. Sometimes, the elderly people, an immediate next of kin, can make a tremendous amount of difference.

“But for the hearing impaired, and otherwise, you really ought to have people who can communicate with them, that's either on staff or on call for the hospital, and that means that you are paying attention to the needs of the people that you're privileged to serve. But you know, at this point, the situation at the hospital has deteriorated to such a level that that is not even a reasonable expectation right now, it's whatever buck up goes.”

Dr Sands said gaps in staffing and resource allocation are undermining care delivery, noting there are no formalised policies guaranteeing access to sign language interpreters. He added that proper care depends on adherence to best practices and ensuring patients are fully informed.

“What you basically want to do is to make sure that in the exchange between the health system and the patient, that the patient is informed, that their family is informed, that there is a fair and reasonable exchange, and every single day, including today, you will hear stories otherwise,” he added.

Minister of Social Services Myles Laroda was unresponsive to requests for comment up to press time, while Director of Social Services Deidre Hepburn declined to comment.