The Samaritan’s Purse facility in Grand Bahama.
THE Samaritan’s Purse organisation - which offered assistance in Abaco and Grand Bahama in the wake of Hurricane Dorian - has partnered with the government to provide a 28-bed COVID-19 isolation and treatment unit.
The move will help to increase patient capacity as the country tries to deal with the pandemic.
The facility will be tents set up next to Princess Margaret Hospital. It will also serve as a COVID-19 referral centre for The Bahamas. It will not include ICU treatment. No ventilators will be provided or operated by Samaritan’s Purse.
“This unit is being set up as a proactive and precautionary measure,” said Minister of Health Renward Wells. “The entire world, including The Bahamas, is experiencing the second wave of COVID-19. The Bahamas and countries in the Northern Hemisphere are in flu season and approaching winter.
“It is critical that The Bahamas has additional healthcare capacity as the global pandemic continues, with more waves of the virus likely, which is why we continue to augment healthcare capacity here at home.”
Samaritan’s Purse will provide the unit and all staffing to operate for three to six weeks. There will be 30 staff members, including medical professionals and operations staff.
The organisation will also provide infection prevention control training to protect Bahamian healthcare workers. Public health staff will work alongside Samaritan’s Purse. The treatment unit will be donated to the government upon Samaritan’s Purse’s departure. The set-up of the unit is expected to begin by the end of the week.
Samaritan’s Purse is an international, non-denominational, evangelical, Christian disaster relief organisation.
Photo: The Samaritan’s Purse facility in Grand Bahama.
Comments
tribanon 4 years ago
We can only pray our corrupt government officials will not wrongfully interfere with or make it unnecessarily difficult for this charitable NPO to help provide the healthcare so desperately needed by too many Bahamians.
mrsmith 4 years ago
It is REALLY sad that we have to wait for someone else to figure out we need field hospitals. Jesus man (pun intended). These fkn morons.
Engineer 4 years ago
Thank God for the efforts of Samaritans Purse. The magnitude of their efforts here is beyond belief. I saw them come into Freeport within days of Dorian and in two days had a complete hospital set up next to the devastated Rand Hospital. They are still in Abaco, Grand Bahama, and now New Providence. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
TalRussell 4 years ago
Can you imagine the all hell been raised by redcoats, had Comrade Perry Gladstone arranged to erect a tent city outdoors right adjacent to the PMH's overcrowded morgue? Shakehead once for Yeah, Twice for Not?
joeblow 4 years ago
Every Bahamian who purchases from Amazon should consider signing up with SmileAmazon to allow a percentage of their purchases to go to Samaritans Purse at no extra cost to themselves. They have come to our aid twice within a one year period. This is a way for us to help ourselves by helping them!
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