By SANCHESKA BROWN
Tribune Staff Reporter
sbrown@tribunemedia.net
PRIME Minister Perry Christie has promised to build a state-of-the-art hospital in Eleuthera days after an elderly woman died while waiting for medical assistance.
While touring the island yesterday in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Mr Christie extended his condolences to the family of 58-year-old Helena Smith Pinder and said that despite the nurses on the island doing all they could for her, it just wasn’t enough.
He said the government will immediately begin working on a plan to build a new hospital between Governor’s Harbour and Palmetto Point. A hospital, he said, is estimated to cost between $10 and $15 million, that will be accessible to all residents.
According to reports Mrs Smith suffered a stroke at about 10pm last Thursday, but could not be flown to New Providence for medical care because of Hurricane Sandy.
Her brother, Mr Alvin Smith, former North Eleuthera MP and Speaker of the House, said all planes had been grounded, trapping his sister on the island for about two days. He said had a doctor attended to Mrs Smith earlier or if the island had proper medical facilities he believed she would have lived.
“After she had the stroke she was taken to the clinic where she was put on oxygen, but the clinic obviously does not have the same facilities as the hospital. They did all they could and she was on oxygen until she was able to fly out around 11o’clock Saturday morning,” he said.
“The doctor did not get to the clinic in Hatchet Bay until the next day. So she was left in the hands of nurses for almost 24 hours. The Minister of Health said the doctor could not get to the clinic because of the storm, but we were told that he was instructed by Nassau not to go to Hatchet Bay, even though it is in his jurisdiction. It is only 22 miles away, he could have made that. We were also told they couldn’t get any flights out and the air ambulances were out of the country.
“It is not unusual for pilots to fly their planes to Florida or another part of the United States while a storm is here and then bring them back when the storm is gone. By the time she got to the Princess Margaret Hospital, doctors said her brain was swollen and she had internal bleeding. She died on Sunday.”
When asked how he felt about the proposed new hospital in Eleuthera, Mr Smith said: “The Prime Minister says many things, I’ll believe it when I see it.”
Comments
mynameis 12 years, 1 month ago
Talk cheap Mr. Prime Minister...but like my ma teach me "money buy land"!! Where you gettin' the money from to build and staff this new hospital? Let me guess! You guh borry it and add more debt fuh my grandchirren dem to pay!
TalRussell 12 years, 1 month ago
Prime Minister with all due respect it don't be making no sense for no government to borrow even more millions to build new hospitals as long as, the like your former law partner's red shirts regime, successive Bahamaland's governments continue with immigration polices which continue to make Bahamaland's natives to line up to receive medical care, 'behind' the already far too many illegally among us.
PM they still are being sent signals that's it's Ok to come, and stay here illegally, cause they will go unhindered by authorities of the day in our Bahamaland..
PM Christie, like your former law partner also a trained lawyer, what in the hell is there about Bahamaland's immigration laws that you just don't understand when it comes to protecting the sovereignty of our Bahamaland.
PM there is nothing non-compassionate or anti-Christian when it comes right down to ordering 'all' your Ministers to enforce and abide, in all government departments with our duly passed, enacted and just immigration laws.
PM I don't know much, but if you keep this up I can ascertained with all but certainty, that your government will be morally bankrupt in the mind's of the natives, long before you can even reach 2017?
And, no PM you don't even have spend more millions of wasted tax payers dollars holding anther flimsy passing the buck referendum. Ain't it true that the natives done speak what on they mind's, when they defeated the red shirts three consecutive times. First in the Elizabeth By-election, on Decision Day 2012 and just now in Cooper's Town?
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Bril 12 years, 1 month ago
Perhaps this was all just a bit too emotional by the PM. I give condolences to the family who lost their loved and we wish them the very best.
In saying that I don't think it makes sense to be emotional on this issue. This is a discussion of practicality and common sense. We have to look at several factors when we consider investing in any government project. Whether it be a hospital, school, airport or dock we have to take into account the economic sustainability, the practicality, projected population growth and most important the human resources at our disposal. It is all well and good to build a nice hospital, but who will maintain it and where will you find the doctors to man it? I would agree that we need excellent healthcare for all our people wherever they may reside. The thing the PM needs to look at is how can we do that more effectively using the existing network that we have in place? I believe that we can deliver excellent healthcare in the Family Islands but I don't believe that a hospital is the panacea for providing improved healthcare. A well equipped, well staffed extended-care clinic with emergency/inpatient facilities would do wonders for these communities. When we have smaller extended clinics there is less maintenance than a larger hospital structure with the benefit of concentrated emergency care. Also when we talk about what a hospital entails we are looking at specialist care and equipment. This brings us back to the issue of human resource. So I reiterate my point. Family Islands where the populations are not so large need extended clinics that provide emergency care. There needs to be proper mobility and communication for staff on the island and for specialist to get to the islands from Nassau. Not sure that a hospital is the solution here, but I'm open to perspectives from others. Anybody else with ideas on this?
TalRussell 12 years, 1 month ago
Comrade Brill while you come so close in making reasonable points you still you are detouring far away from explaining to readers, how is it Bahamaland's economy could possibly sustain providing the many thousands of illegal immigrants with "free" health care and social assistance, something natives have to pay dearly for directly or indirectly through their tax contributions?
Are you even aware that in places like Nassau and Abaco, the natives are forced to line up behind in much longer illegal lines of immigrants to await receiving medical attention?
Comrade Bril this is a sin by successive governments when it is clear that even the Bible speaks so clearly of "protecting" your nation's borders.
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Mayaguana34 12 years, 1 month ago
Hhahahahahahahahah!!! If I dont laugh I will cry ......
Bril 12 years, 1 month ago
Russell you need to relax with this Comrade nonsense. If you want to make a sensible point then please do so. But to promote fear mongering and xenophobia simply detracts from the more important points of healthcare economic feasibility and planning. The lady who passed away was a Bahamian. Her not being attended to had nothing to do with illegal immigrants overusing our facilities. There simply wasn't the staff or facility to help her during her crisis. This was compounded by the storm that inhibited a medical flight from landing on the island. So lets not be silly here. Illegal immigration is a problem for our country as it is for many other countries. But what amazes me about your comment is its clear hypocrisy and misunderstanding of Christian charity. In one breath you talk about the Bible advocating the protection of ones borders and in another breath you say we shouldn't treat illegals who are ill. Illegal or not they are human beings and we have to be careful how we so readily quote the Bible to suite our own purposes. The fact is, even if we had very few illegals in this country we would still have to make sensible decisions regarding the facilities we invest in on our islands. Second, I agree that illegal immigration is a problem but it cannot be solely the blame for decreased efficiency in our healthcare system. So as far as I'm concerned your argument is a Red Herring, a distraction with no data to support it.
boopboop 12 years, 1 month ago
I agree it is not the sole problem to healthcare I can say this because I am now on my 26th year in healthcare. I might add that when it comes to paying hospital fees, most Haitians are prepared with their money in hand. I have witnessed Bahamians who live in well off areas with good jobs who want you to "put it on my bill" and never pay. I sense a little racism here Russell.
The problem with healthcare in the Bahamas is that it is outdated. Various agencies in the health sector are severely underfunded, neglected and are left to operate with the bare bare minimum. Governments (both old and new) priorities are wrong. Granted tourism is our major industry, a part of the Chinese deal should have been to construct us a new hospital. They work like ants. Look at how far they are with the new hotel in Cable Beach. That’s what we need.
Companies such as Atlantis, Bahamar, Albany, Our Lucaya, the project in West End Grand Bahama, Lyford Cay, BORCO, Ship Yard, Container Port, and Port Authority should all be required to significantly invest or contribute to healthcare and the budget needs to be increased. All of these are owned by non-Bahamians but benefit from our healthcare. They should build and equip hospitals here and in Grand Bahama and the government staff it. Lots of construction is happening at PMH while we are running out of parking. They should build a 3 or 4 story parking garage at the parking lot near the Nursing school and charge a small fee (not as expensive as the airport) to the public using the hospital and maximize the space going up a few stories on the hospital. Also the bed space needs to be increased by at least 2000-250 to suit the population of Nassau keeping in mind that there are also patients from the out islands. Out island clinics need to be at the standard of South Beach Clinic with some bed space for admission and a few added details.
boopboop 12 years, 1 month ago
Sorry I meant by 200 to 250
TalRussell 12 years, 1 month ago
I really want to agree with comments posted here, but having some trouble distinguishing why you are saying such things other than your thinking may be tainted more with your prejudice in favor of applying voodoo economics, against looking the hard reality of the immigration nightmare, successive governments have been sinfully responsible for creating.
That nothing in-between government's firmness in closing our borders to additional illegal immigration, followed with the painfully yes, but necessary deportation "all" who are here illegally here back to their respective homelands. Sorry, Comrades, regardless of what God you worship this is the one and only Christian workable solution
Governments are not elected to make easy decisions.
concernedcitizen 12 years, 1 month ago
we have been sellin our country for decades ,,give me the right amount and i,ll get u two work permits for farm laborers ...everyone wants to get rid of the hatians except for their indentured servant ,,,,,
concernedcitizen 12 years, 1 month ago
xenophopic ranting is a big seller at election time ,,,the issues are secondary .............lmao
boopboop 12 years, 1 month ago
Russell all of us are Gods creation whom he made the entire earth for. It is man who has set the boundries. We gat bigger issues in this country to worry about than putting more focus than need be on immigrants.
We have to stop using them as a smoke screen to our issues. Try focussing on some of the positive attributes they bring. Maybe we Bahamians need to learn a lesson from their unity that they have among one another. Maybe we'd stop the blood and carnage among ourselves.
TalRussell 12 years, 1 month ago
Comrade Boopboop I can understand you having passionate diverse viewpoints on illegal immigration, but it doesn't also mean you should be allowed to come on here peddling some serious flaws about Christianity?
I am fully aware that for anyone to seriously address the complex Haitian issue in Bahamaland you've got to be ready to run into those itching to call you all kinds of ant--immigrants name. So be it.
While no one is denying the historic contributions Bahamians of Haitian heritage have played, and hopefully will continue to play, in building our Bahamaland, still it doesn't allow you to use the God pulpit that; it's all OK, because we are all God's creations.
So, let's just open up our small Bahamaland's borders to economically unsustainable immigration, to all who decide to call Bahamaland there new home, be they arrive here legally or illegally? What utter rubbish.
There is no mistaken Jesus' own words that we are to mark and then "protect" our nation's borders. It's the "Christian" thing to do for Bahamaland.
concernedcitizen 12 years, 1 month ago
the bible also had talking snakes ,slavery,stoneing people to death ,,,human sacrfice ,,a 1000 yrs before jesus there was another recorded story of a carpenter born to a virgin ,krishna ..mankind is still killing one another to prove whos religion is right ,,is it the jewish zombie ,the guy with the flinstone i pad ,or the man with the filying horse ,,lmao
concernedcitizen 12 years, 1 month ago
we need to build a statue to Castro as the ultimate nation builder ,its because of him taking cuba communist and the embargo that has been responsable for much of our good fortune .....
boopboop 12 years, 1 month ago
lol
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