The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

AFTER more than a week of staff sick-outs, officials said on Friday that while normal operations resumed at the Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre and at institutions in Grand Bahama, services at Princess Margaret Hospital continued to be affected by delays.

In a statement released by the Public Hospital Authority on Friday, officials said “following a staff ‘sick-out’ for the past eight days, normal operations at the Grand Bahama Health Services and Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre have resumed.”

However, PHA said up to Friday, PMH continued to be affected as a result of service delays.

Workers participated in a sick-out in protest of the government’s honorarium exercise.

They are upset that many deserving people did not get the gift while others who were not on the frontline of the COVID-19 fight reportedly have received the honorarium.

Speaking about the issue on Thursday, Health Minister Renward Wells told reporters that officials are still involved in discussions with unions to bring a resolve to the matter.

“We have a union that is currently taking actions so to speak that is the Bahamas Public Service Union. The other unions that are the nurses, doctors, the junior doctors and the consultant physician’s union, we’re talking with them as well to ensure that we are always on board collectively together, working together to expand and deliver the kind of requisite healthcare for the Bahamian people,” the health minister said.

Mr Wells’ driver and personal assistant were among those awarded the honorarium, a situation that has further angered staff.

Although he asked the two staffers to return the $1,158.40 to the government, Progressive Liberal Party Chairman Fred Mitchell has called on the minister to do the “honourable thing” and resign.

When asked for comment about the controversy and calls for his resignation, Mr Wells replied last week: “I think I would’ve spoken definitively on that subject. I’m not going to go back over that again. I think I would’ve very clearly articulated the circumstances and how I would’ve liked to proceed and proceeded. So, as I said before on Tuesday, what is on the record as I’ve spoken will remain on the record.”

The sick-out occurred as virus cases and hospitalisations overwhelm the healthcare system, with one Accident & Emergency consultant saying last week that PMH is bursting at the seams and in desperate need of additional resources.

According to the latest information from the Ministry of Health, 148 people are in hospital with COVID-19.

On Friday, PHA thanked staff for their “continued commitment” in providing care to sick patients despite challenges faced in recent months.

Although he asked the two staffers to return the $1,158.40 to the government, Progressive Liberal Party chairman Fred Mitchell has called on the minister to do the “honourable thing” and resign.

When asked for comment about the controversy and calls for his resignation, Mr Wells replied: “I think I would’ve spoken definitively on that subject. I’m not going to go back over that again. I think I would’ve very clearly articulated the circumstances and how I would’ve liked to proceed and proceeded. So, as I said before on Tuesday, what is on the record as I’ve spoken will remain on the record.”

The sick-out comes as virus cases and hospitalisations overwhelm the healthcare system, with one Accident & Emergency consultant saying that PMH is bursting at the seams and in desperate need of additional resources.

According to the latest data released by The Ministry of Health, 114 new cases were recorded on August 18. Ninety-nine of those cases are in New Providence, nine in Grand Bahama, two each in Abaco and Exuma and one on Eleuthera and one in Andros.

This has pushed the country’s total COVID tally to 16,962, however, only 2,961 cases are currently active.

There were also fourteen additional deaths confirmed between August 13 and 17, bringing the nation's COVID-19 death toll to 330.

Eleven of the newly recorded deaths are from New Providence and the patients ages range from 33 to 84-years-old. Seven of the New Providence deceased cases were women and four were men. The deaths occurred between August 13 to 16.

The other three deaths are Abaco residents and include a 41-year-old Abaco woman who died on August 17; a 52-year-old Abaco man who died on August 15; and a 55-year-old Abaco woman who died on August 13.

As for virus-related hospitalisations, health officials said 149 COVID-19 patients are in hospital while 16 of those cases are in the Intensive Care Unit.

On Friday, PHA thanked staff for their “continued commitment” in providing care to sick patients despite challenges faced in recent months.