The Tribune

By TANYA SMITHCARTWRIGHT

tsmith-cartwright@tribunemedia.net

THE president of the Bahamas Nurses Union has chided public health officials for the length of time it takes to address issues within Princess Margaret Hospital.

Nurse Amancha Williams said a recent statement from the Public Hospitals Authority about air conditioning units has exposed the management of PMH for its tardiness in getting work done.

On Sunday, the PHA released a statement that updated the public about the state of repair work on faulty air conditioning units in the PMH. The statement appeared critical of Nurse Williams for going public on matters pertaining to the air conditioning systems and said she is given updates on the repairs of the same.

“To provide clarity following statements made by the nursing union president regarding the issue of non-functioning air conditioning in the postnatal, female medical I and male medical I and II; the male medical II ward has been closed and gutted for approximately two years and the other areas mentioned have either been repaired or are progressing,” PHA’s statement said in part.

“The union president was invited to receive and (has) been receiving updates on the progress of repair works.”

Yesterday, Ms Williams took issue with the statement and chided health officials, stating that two years is a long time for repairs to be done to a place which is in desperate need of beds for its patients.

“I was not talking about their male wards … their medical and surgical wards,” she said. “Their surgical ward they know quite fine what does not have air conditioning. They have proven to the people of The Bahamas that it takes two years to fix a ward. It shows how long it takes to get things fixed in PMH. To have a ward gutted for two years, how come it has not been fixed as yet?

“You have patients waiting to get beds and there is no bed space. Why does it take so long for a ward to be fixed? Explain that? They have exposed themselves even more in that statement.”

Also upset about the PHA statement claiming she gets updates about the air conditioning repairs, Ms Williams feels PHA is being disingenuous because she actually requested those updates.

“They mentioned the Nurses Union, why?” she asked. “Because I stand out on their door (steps), I call them all day, ask any other union president. I am the one who meets with them. I don’t let these people sit down on what it is to be done for the people. I am out there fighting for the people.

“They said they give me updates. Ask them, why do they give me updates? Because I requested an update. They didn’t give me an update because they wanted to give me an update. I requested it. They don’t check for us. They have no respect for us. We are demanding that these things be done. Ask the other unions how often they meet with PHA to discuss anything.

“There is stuff going on and happening and no meetings because they have no respect for the unions. They are acting like they obliged me with those updates. That’s not so. I ran behind them to get those updates.”

In an interview with The Tribune on Sunday, Ms Williams mentioned that five nurses are currently out sick with COVID and that another one had died from the virus. The Tribune reported that the nurse who died was from Freeport, Grand Bahama.

However, the nurse was actually from Nassau and was employed at the Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre.

Ms Williams said that she was in Freeport, Grand Bahama attending a meeting with union members at the time when she was informed of the nurse’s death. The Tribune apologises for the error.