The Tribune

GRAND Bahama Minister Dr Michael Darville applauded a new initiative that recently produced 25 trained clinical nurses, graduates of a programme that is the collaboration of the Public Hospitals Authority, the University of The Bahamas and the Ministry for Grand Bahama.

He gave the keynote address at a church service on Sunday at New Destiny Kingdom Centre in their honour.

Dr Darville mentioned that he had not long ago announced that a Trained Clinical Nursing Programme would be implemented in Grand Bahama.

He said: “Today, as I stand before our outstanding 25 participants, their families and their friends to celebrate their achievements before the Almighty, we can once again say a promise by this government has been fulfilled for the people of Grand Bahama.

“When we came to office in 2012, we made a commitment to the people of the Bahamas and especially those on Grand Bahama to advance our nation and island’s healthcare system.

“Over the past five years on the island of Grand Bahama, we have spent over $1m to upgrade and renovate all outlying public healthcare facilities, we have purchased new CT scan machines and MRI machines, we have spent $2.3m to upgrade the kitchen and cafeteria and this will allow for more space at the hospital for new beds to cater to more patients, spent $1.6m to create a new private suite for doctors, broke ground for a new clinic in West Grand Bahama, made provisions for a Freeport Clinic and made plans for a state-of-the-art $10m new hospital for Grand Bahama Island all in an effort to move us towards a system of universal National Health Insurance.

“We also made a promise to double the investment in education.

“By partnering with members of corporate Bahamas such as the Grand Bahama Shipyard to create training programmes like the job empowerment programme or expanding training initiatives such as this one, the Trained Clinical Nursing Programme (of) Grand Bahama, we have done just that.

“We remain focused in our vision and steadfast in our efforts of empowering Bahamians to empower Bahamians.

“Today, 25 individuals are well on their way to becoming new nurses and members of the medical community, equipped with new skills and training and will be empowered to save countless lives.”