The Tribune

US Embassy officials formally handed over four new portable X-ray machines during a brief ceremony at the Princess Margaret Hospital in the newly constructed Critical Care Block.

On hand was the Minister of Health Dr Perry Gomez and representatives from the Public Hospitals Authority.

This latest donation is the culmination of three public health projects in the Bahamas supported by the United States Government’s Department of Defence’s Global Health Engagement policy and the United States Northern Command’s (USNORTHCOM) Building Partner Capacity programme facilitated through the US Embassy in Nassau.

The US Embassy’s Political Officer Yancy Caruthers highlighted the significance of “health diplomacy,” stating that above economic or physical resources – people are the most important commodity.

“This project is a clear illustration of our shared values – that the ability of a nation to care for its people is one of the most important things of all,” he said.

The X-ray machines will double the size of the Public Hospital Authority’s capacity to serve patients as three of the machines will be used to service patients throughout New Providence while the other will be transferred to Grand Bahama to serve the critical needs of patients there.

Other public health projects funded by the US government over the past year include mammography and radiography training as well as vital screening equipment for mammograms.