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From:TheBahamasWeekly.com Bahamas Information Services Updates
Freeport, Grand Bahama - Newly appointed Minister of health and Wellness, the Hon. Dr. Michael Darville says there is a need to improve the bed shortages at the Rand Memorial Hospital to ensure that local residents who access the Rand have favorable medical outcomes. “We have to improve the image; we have to improve the quality of health care delivery and we need to ensure that Grand Bahamians feel comfortable to come to the Rand Memorial Hospital without fear of being exposed to any form of infectious disease,” he said. The Minister’s remarks came following a tour of the Rand memorial Hospital in Freeport on Wednesday, September 22, 2021. He toured the newly renovated as well as older sections of the hospital and used the opportunity to speak with the healthcare professionals. Dr. Darville noted that his Ministry has short, medium and long-term plans to improve health care services in Grand Bahama. “We do still have many challenges here at the Rand memorial Hospital. It is important for us to begin to listen to the concerns of the doctors, nurses, staff, administration and allied health workers and begin to uplift morale. We’ve been getting reports from the Rand Memorial Hospital that things need improvement. With that being said, I intend to hold a meeting with all of the people involved in the health care system on the island following this tour. But I would like to thank all of the hard working doctors, nurses and administrative staff who played an intricate role in the health care delivery system on the island of Grand Bahama.” Speaking about some specific challenges at the Rand that may need immediate attention, Dr. Darville noted that there are nurses who are not working in the appropriate environment and plans are being made to immediately fix that challenge. He also noted that with some of the work presently on-going at the hospital, there is the immediate need to address the issue of payment of contractors who may be owed monies. Minister Darville said there may be some budgetary challenges, and they will work with the administrative staff in order to find those resources. “All of these things I’m trying to quantify so that when I sit in the Cabinet with my colleagues, I would know what emergency funding is necessary to ensure that we move swiftly to complete the work here and begin the necessary renovations in the other parts of the hospital, so that when the residents of Grand Bahama do come to this facility they can be comfortable, we will have the appropriate man-power resources to take care of them and to be able to have better medical outcomes as a result of improvement of services, medical staff and equipment,” said Dr. Darville.
“It is important for me to have a close relationship with health officials because they are the ones who have been carrying us for the last year and a half and more. They are exhausted, some of them are underpaid, some of them have not been paid, some of them have been neglected, some of their voices have not been heard and we have to fix it. “We are in this together – the healthcare workers and the community. We must come together to ensure that we are all on one accord. When it comes to infectious diseases, there are certain medical protocols that must be adhered to, like wearing your mask, sanitizing your hands regularly and not gathering in large groups. We need the public to please follow the health care protocols so that we can better live with the COVID-19 virus.” The Health Minister said it is important for the government to be able to juggle opening up the economy and the delivery of good health care. This, he said, is the reason why every Bahamian must follow all of the health protocols. He pointed out that his ministry will be working more closely with the Ministry of National Security to ensure that health protocols in place are policed. “This is absolutely necessary because if we are going to live with this virus, which will be with us for a while, we have to learn to discipline ourselves because we must open our economy and must make sure that we protect ourselves from COVID. So the public health measures will be enforced more aggressively under this administration.” Dr. Darville noted that as the newly appointed Minister of Health and Wellness, he intends to tour all of the health care facilities throughout the country in order to get a better understanding of where the challenges lie and what is needed to be done to fix those challenges. Before leaving Grand Bahama to go to Abaco, Minister Darville held an extensive meeting with doctors, nurses, administrative staff, as well as the allied health workers to discuss the best way forward.
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