Nassau, Bahamas - (Statement) Following reports received by the Public Hospitals Authority that the Princess Margaret Hospital was responsible for improperly disposing biohazardous waste at the New Providence Landfill, the Authority launched an intensive investigation and concluded that indeed biohazardous waste found at the Landfill in November 2015 did in-fact originate at the Princess Margaret Hospital. The Authority’s investigators further concluded that the waste was not prepared according to international guidelines. Additionally, the investigators discovered that documents specific to the Princess Margaret Hospital was also found among the disposed refuse.

As a direct result of this infraction, the Princess Margaret Hospital, along with Bahamas Waste assisted with remediation efforts by providing disinfectant chemicals, pressurized chemical dispersion canisters, personal protective equipment and technical advice regarding exposure management and decontamination of waste. Subsequently, senior management of the Princess Margaret Hospital met with Renew Bahamas and an ex gratia offer of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) was extended to Renew to cover cost associated with all remedial efforts to move and clean up the cited area.

Later, the PHA was once again made aware of allegations which suggested that biohazardous waste originating at the Princess Margaret Hospital was illegally dumped at the landfill. A site visit to the landfill was scheduled to be led by the Chief Executive Officer of Renew Bahamas in order to confirm whether or not any of the waste reportedly dumped at the site did in fact originate at the Princess Margaret Hospital. Regrettably, on the day of the site visit no senior official or management representative of Renew Bahamas was available to facilitate the inspection of the area where the alleged incident occurred. The team which comprised PMH officials together with PMH’s Safety and Infection Prevention Control Unit were however guided to the area by a grounds man. The Deputy Director of Environmental Health was also a part of the group who inspected the disposal site. On arrival at the area which was reportedly identified as the space where the biohazardous waste was dumped, there was no evidence of waste in the designated area Additionally, the reported date of the second alleged infraction as reported by Renew, does not correspond with the documented service record provided by Bahamas Waste Management regarding the dates of collection during that period from the Princess Margaret Hospital.

More importantly, the PHA wishes to state unequivocally for the record that the Princess Margaret Hospital does not deposit waste directly to the Landfill, and that all waste is collected at a designated centralized point on the PMH campus. The hospital retains a contract with Bahamas Waste Management Limited for the collection and disposal of all biohazardous waste. Bahamas Waste Management according to the PHA investigation is the only company on the island who would have the proper equipment and facility to treat and dispose of biohazardous waste.

Further, the investigation by the Public Hospitals Authority also revealed that the holding station at Princess Margaret Hospital has been illegally used by entities to dispose of medical and biohazardous waste. In this regard, the Authority intends to pursue the full extent of the law against any entity found disposing waste at its PMH campus. Additionally, enhanced security measures inclusive of CCTV are being implemented. The Princess Margaret Hospital has also engaged a Safety Manager who now has direct oversight for the monitoring of waste in general, but biohazardous waste in particular. The Authority has also notified the Ministry of Health of our concerns with regards to the illegal dumping of biohazard waste at the PMH campus, and has urged that priority be given in collaborating with other government entities in carrying out a more extensive investigation into this illegal practice.

The indiscriminate disposal of any record related to the provision of care at any facility in the PHA network is a very serious concern for the Authority, and the PHA assures that when there is evidence to support that staff have engaged in this practice the Authority will not hesitate to enact the prescribed disciplinary action within the framework of PHA policies. The PHA is pleased to advise that its hospitals and clinics are moving to a system via the implementation of Electronic Medical Records, which not only assures a permanent and universal record for care, but also employs a paperless system to avoid related incidences and safeguards patient privacy. A contract in this regard was executed on Tuesday August 9^th with ALLSCRIPTS a global leader in healthcare information technology solutions that advance clinical, financial and operational results.