By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Senior Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
A 74-year-old fisherman who complained of shortness of breath died in Bimini early Tuesday morning after he was not evacuated to New Providence because he reportedly weighed too much.
The family of Louis Edward Rolle, who said he was diagnosed with COVID-19, said officials believed they could not safely transport him in the special chamber used to move COVID-19 patients because he did not meet weight specifications.
The episode could reignite questions about the country’s capacity to airlift Family Island residents who experience medical distress during the pandemic. Rolle’s death came exactly one year after Kim Johnson-Rolle, the country’s first COVID-19 death, died after officials were also unable to evacuate her off of Bimini.
Health officials either did not respond to inquiries about the matter yesterday or they directed The Tribune to officials who were not available.
Rolle’s niece, Meredith Henfield, said the government “dropped the ball” in the matter.
“He was not able to fit in the chamber and they just leave him there until he died (sic),” she said.
Rolle has two children, both of whom live in the United States.
His sister, Ms Henfield’s mother, lives in Grand Bahama.
“He died around 2.30am (Tuesday) morning,” Ms Henfield said. “He was complaining about shortness of breath. He was plagued with heart issues, high blood pressure and all of that. My only thing is I think the government should’ve tried their best to get him out even if they had to send the defence force’s cargo plane for him. If you know a person can’t fit into a chamber, you should assist whatever way you can.”
Ms Henfield said Bimini residents looking after her uncle contacted her for help but she was unable to get him off the island.
“You know people are obese so you should make provisions for them,” she said, describing the ordeal as an “eye-opener”.
“You try to not react negatively and just hope and pray that something would’ve happened but nothing did. Everybody is okay right now but just disappointed that he didn’t get the help that he needed. We just hope it doesn’t happen to somebody else. And the fact that it’s exactly one year after Kim’s death, boy it’s hard.”
Ms Henfield said her uncle was “jolly like a big bear,” adding that he was a “happy go lucky” person who just enjoyed life and never allowed himself to get stressed out.
Denver Stuart, Rolle’s nephew, said he offered to transport his uncle by boat to Grand Bahama or New Providence but was turned down, according to Eyewitness News.
He said: “I said I’m willing to rent a boat, to fuel up a boat, I’m a captain, I can have him in Grand Bahama, Freeport within two hours on a speed boat. I said I could have him then into Nassau within three hours, give me permission. They said we would be breaking protocol.”
According to data from the Ministry of Health released earlier yesterday, 188 people have died from the disease. Rolle’s death has not officially been added to that count.
Twenty-eight new cases of COVID-19 were recorded on Monday, pushing the nation’s overall toll to 9,119.
Comments
DWW 3 years, 8 months ago
Is Bimini one of the places where they said it was a hoax and just a way for the gov't to control the people?
tribanon 3 years, 8 months ago
We can only assume Minnis and his appointed health officials were just too busy to pick up the phone and, in the circumstances, arrange with the US Coast Guard for emergency medical travel assistance via helicopter. Sadly, if it had been a $3 million stash of cocaine needing secure transportation from Bimini to Nassau on an urgent basis, a US Coast Guard helicopter might have been readily available to do the job.
Minnis seems quite capable of finding the financial resources for building street side walks all over New Providence but not for the emergency medical needs of Bahamians living on the more populated Family Islands. All Family Islanders eligible to vote should think about that harsh reality when they next go to the polls to cast their vote.
bahamian242 3 years, 8 months ago
At first the Bubble Suits held persons up to 250lbs. The Duane Sands was to get Suits for person to hold up to 400lbs. So I guess this Gentleman was more than 400lbs. There were no Bubble Suits to fit. We knew there would be persons that would get Covid, that would not be able to fit anyways. Condolences to the Families!
tribanon 3 years, 8 months ago
And a heartless soul like you would no doubt say the same if it were your over-weight father or mother. Your 'new normal' mantra is clearly "those too fat don't deserve to live". Minnis and his 'more fit' health officials would probably agree with you.
DonAnthony 3 years, 8 months ago
What about personal responsibility? You sound like so many Bahamians who make very poor decisions and expect the government to pay for the consequences. My condolences to the family, this gentleman seemed very loved in the community but there are consequences for being extremely obese and unfit, do we buy 600lb suits now? No, how about losing some weight and getting healthy and taking personal responsibility over your life.
tribanon 3 years, 8 months ago
And to hell with all those who are over-weight because of a genetic predisposition or some other medical condition, or because of certain bloating medications they must take to manage other serious medical conditions. And screw all those who are poor and needy because its their own fault they did not do enough to overcome their inability to get a decent education, a good upbringing and a decent paying job. All of these people should get a lesson in personal responsibility from @DonAnthony.
DWW 3 years, 8 months ago
if someone is over 400 lbs, they should probably stay within a 10 mile radius of a hospital. their life expectancy is around 50 years. Stop excusing personal responsibility in the name of petty politics
C2B 3 years, 8 months ago
80% of Covid related hospitalizations and deaths in the US have been among overweight people. This gentleman died from complications of obesity.
tribanon 3 years, 8 months ago
And that was the global population segment targeted by this lab created 'gain-of-function' corona virus.
FreeUs242 3 years, 8 months ago
We need more medical equipments and experts stationed on more islands throughout the Bahamas. Build better medical facilities so there isn't just one main source to fly to New Providence for crucial life and death situations. But again, no government made any effort to better fund the medical branch of expanding to those islanders. There should be at least 3 capable Hospital that can be access from the upper north, middle & lower south islands. Our system is not built on common sense, only greed.
Dawes 3 years, 8 months ago
Thats all good, but how are we to pay for these hospitals. Will each need their own MRI and surgical ward, with the specialists that are therefore needed? In reality small clinics to deal with the minor things and a good airlift for major items to either Nassau or Freeport. Even building the clinics will be costly, as how do you justify having at least one doctor and nurse on an island with 50 people on it?
FreeUs242 3 years, 8 months ago
That's just a silly thing to do by having one doctor employed on the outer islands. We need more medical experts deployed to assist with threatening life and death situations given the proper equipments to do so. Why is it that Nassau is the only main treatable Center. Should ppl suffer for that, no!!! I know not everyone can be saved but it can benefit those ones that can only if they are able to get a faster medical response.
FreeUs242 3 years, 8 months ago
3-5 skilled doctors and nurses can make a impact for those ppl that needs it urgently.
DWW 3 years, 8 months ago
Let me introduce you to something called economics. A doctor expects a $100,000 annual salary. a nurse will get a $50,000 salary. by your petty political estimation each island should have 3 doctors and 2 dozen nurses at an annual cost of $1,500,000 PER YEAR, on an island which probably produces around $150,000 a year in tax revenue? Sillyness like this is why the Bahamas in such a deplorable state. Did you at least finish high school?
FreeUs242 3 years, 8 months ago
This just doesn't only apply to what is being written. What if someone has 30 minutes to live from the lower south because of a fatal situation that involves poisoning, It probably would take over an hour or longer just to fly to New Providence airport right...Are there not any hospitals nearby that can be accessed quicker than an hour flight ride or longer. What if the US Coast Guards not being able to assist us all the time, we should depend on Nassau only being the treatable Center.
ThisIsOurs 3 years, 8 months ago
everyone who is overweight needs to start a weight loss program yesterday. Dr Sands told us 2 years ago they were ticking time bombs. Just like SARS in Asia variants of this disease are going to pop up forever. Save yourselves
FreeUs242 3 years, 8 months ago
Plz make sense, not everyone is overweight that need faster care, not every overweight persons lose their lives because of being heavy. They probably outlive ppl who aren't. There are many more things that can harm you quicker than weight. Ppl is just looking for a reason to deflect what's happening to ppl living here that needs better help. Why is there one Hospital for over 400,000.00 ppl or more by now.
DonAnthony 3 years, 8 months ago
You really believe obese people have a longer life expectancy than those who are not? Get real. I am one of those persons who lives in a sparsely populated island with minimal health facilities. We would love a hospital but who is going to pay for it? We don’t even have an ambulance. We love island life and that is the trade off we willingly make to be out of Nassau and all it’s problems. It is completely unrealistic and unfair to expect govt to provide the level of healthcare you expect given our dire fiscal state.
DWW 3 years, 8 months ago
Please read this and then come back here for futher comment: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1251304….
ThisIsOurs 3 years, 8 months ago
sigh Dr Sands gave his analysis way before COVID when medical professionals the world over concluded that obesity was a major factor in non communicable deadly diseases. Studies also showed that 60% of our population is obese. Read this story and the other story on the nurse who died and you can see how deadly our attitudes are. Both speak of have "a little high blood pressure". That's how we think of a disease that's the canary in the coal mine.
We trying to treat symptoms wuth bigger hospitals rather than treating the problem. What we eating. I'm well aware how hard it is to lose weight and that some are genetically predisposed to put on more weight. But neither changes the fact that obesity is a killer. Neither changes that fact that photos of the majority of these person who passed show obese people. Evidence is telling us it's a big risk.
bogart 3 years, 8 months ago
Bimini as a very popular world known island, highly visited tourist island for decades, should have an already established medical facility. Out of millions of visitors over the decades visiting, it woulf be seem baffling that these highly advertised tourist islands do not carry a full medical facility. Very sad situation that the gentleman passed away.
DWW 3 years, 8 months ago
Amazing that these pundits commenting above have so little understanding of what it cost to run a medical establishment! I guess that is a result of the Bahamas "stellar" education system.
tribanon 3 years, 8 months ago
Keep in mind that your New Providence centric universe for our country's medical care facilities will only exacerbate the serious over-population problem we already have on that island. Better medical care facilities on certain of our larger family islands is a 'must do' if they are to serve as a release valve for the over-crowding situation on New Providence that is getting worse with each passing day.
ThisIsOurs 3 years, 8 months ago
Agree with this approach. We cant have hospitals on every island. We could have maybe 3 hospitals throughout the country that serve as hubs and possibly medical tourism for those islands. Added to that reliable transportation between islands
bogart 3 years, 8 months ago
We da pore lacking the understanding is the gratefull beneficiaries of the stellicularest education system ....by the mostest educated experts, specialists, people who being to University and plenty letters before an after name, highly qualified best Officials for decades to make us better. Thanks bestest educated people ...you gave us for the stellicularist education for decades.
themessenger 3 years, 8 months ago
By his own sisters admission, he was obese, had heart disease and hypertension, how many co morbidities do you have to have? But Covid did kill him and we gubmint ain send no plane or no boat for him. When will our ignorant people learn that the government can’t protect you from yourself!
tribanon 3 years, 8 months ago
Right now we need a lot more protection from our bad government than we do from ourselves.
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