The Tribune

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.