The Tribune

BY DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

Terreve College in Freeport is claiming its nursing students are being denied access to training at the Rand Memorial Hospital due to the continued delay in the signing of a memorandum of understanding by the Public Hospitals Authority.

The registered nursing programme has been a part of Terreve’s academic studies for the past two years and was approved by the Nursing Council of the Bahamas.

Terreve College requested an affiliation with the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) via a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) six months after the commencement of the programme.

Terrence Archer, founder of Terreve, said that the students had completed all of their preliminary courses and were prepared to go into the Rand Memorial Hospital to start their practicum in 2016.

But an unsigned MOU is preventing that from happening, and the students’ studies have been suspended.

PHA Managing director Herbert Brown told The Tribune that the PHA is in receipt of a MOU with Terreve College, but said he is awaiting directives from the Department of Public Services.

However, Mr Archer said he believes that Terreve is being “punished” for pursuing a judicial review case against the Department of Public Services last year.

He disagrees with the PHA managing director who stated that he is not under any obligation to accept students of Terreve College for training at the Rand.

“Terreve College differs with the position taken by the managing director and asserts that he is under obligation to accommodate any Bahamian student who attends a registered, approved, and accredited institution within the Commonwealth of the Bahamas,” Mr Archer said.

“Terreve College stands on the principle that any public teaching facility in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas funded by the taxpayers cannot be denied the right of access to those facilities. To hinder Bahamian students just because they attend Terreve would be unjust, unfair, wrong, and downright prejudicial,” he stressed.

Mr Archer stated that Princess Margaret Hospital in Nassau and Rand Memorial Hospital in Freeport are the only two hospitals in The Bahamas that provide training for both foreign and local nursing students.

“Terreve College’s request was nothing new or out of the ordinary. The government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas is mandated by law to ensure that its citizens are provided for in several areas of national life. Two of these crucial areas are education and health care,” he said.

Mr Archer stressed that all citizens and residents must have an equal opportunity to improve themselves without prejudice.

“It does not matter whether Bahamian citizens or residents choose to attend Terreve College or any other legitimate educational institution within The Bahamas, they are entitled to the same courtesy extended to students who come from foreign countries to The Bahamas to do their practicum at the two teaching hospitals in The Bahamas,” he said.

Mr Archer stated that Terreve College is an accredited institution, registered with the Ministry of Education, and approved by the Department of Public Service.

The college is in the process of making application to the National Accrediting Agency of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas (NAACOB).

Mr Archer said Terreve College has had to “fight tooth and nail” for its survival from its inception.

“When Terreve College, as an institution void of personalities, fought for what it felt was right, punitive action was taken against it. Despite the punitive action taken against it, Terreve College must legitimately do what it must do,” he said.

In June 2016, the Department of Public Service removed Terreve College from its list of approved private tertiary institutions recognised by the department after implementing policy changes.

The college, which caters to 30 per cent of persons employed in public service, brought judicial review against DPS in the Supreme Court. On January 19, 2017, Justice Ian Winder delivered his ruling in the matter and ordered that the decision to revise the policy be quashed, which returned Terreve back to the status quo as an approved institution on DPS list of recognised institutions.