The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

HEALTH Minister Renward Wells said the government is looking at several options to alleviate the strain on public hospital morgues which continue to operate beyond capacity as the country grapples with a surge of COVID-19 related and non-related deaths.

Mr Wells said overcrowding has forced officials to increase its capacity at the facilities.

“We expanded the morgue capacity,” he said. “We have some more freezers, mobile freezers that’s dealing with the amount of deceased persons that we do have. It is not at crisis level now but we’re observing it and as the Bahamian people come in and collect their loved ones for burial, it keeps it balanced because they’re moving persons out as others become deceased.”

Mr Wells spoke as health officials recorded another 15 COVID-19 related deaths on August 29, which occurred between July 16 to August 23, and a further ten were recorded on August 30, occurring between August 24 and August 27.

This is in addition to the 27 new deaths confirmed on Monday, which happened “over a period of five months from April 16 to August 24”, according to health officials.

Twelve of the deceased victims reported on August 29 are from Grand Bahama, while the remaining three are New Providence residents. Of those reported on August 30, eight are from New Providence, one from Mayaguana and one from Long Island.

Yesterday, Mr Wells said since issuing several appeals to the public for the collection of human remains, many families have stepped up to claim their loved one’s bodies.

However, he said there are some people who are still waiting until current COVID restrictions have been relaxed to collect their family members in order to host a proper funeral service.

“Bahamians, we as a people like to memorialise our dead with the greatest of respect,” Mr Wells said. “And so, with the protocols in place and a reduction of who can actually be at the funeral and those circumstances, a lot of Bahamians are sort of holding off because they’re looking for the opportune time and we’re just encouraging them.”

Asked if the government is considering taking matters into their own hands if the situation does not improve, Mr Wells suggested officials may be forced to take action, which could include conducting their own burial exercises once permission has been granted by family members.

“There are a number of ways we can do it,” he told reporters yesterday when asked about the issue. “We can call the particular funeral homes where there are already arrangements with family members so that they could speed up the process. We can put it out again to the general public that they need to come and collect their loved ones.

“The government has in the past and also in circumstances because we do have some infants who are in the morgue and folks have not necessarily come back to claim them. This would’ve been in the process of birth and the child died and you would’ve had miscarriages and we considered those bodies as well.

“So we’re looking at ways as to how we can address the circumstances, but we have had an uptake of persons coming in now to collect their loved ones,” Mr Wells added. “The measures that we’ve used in the past (is what) we’re seeking to use now.”

This comes as the third wave of the COVID-19 crisis in the country intensifies.

Yesterday, Mr Wells reiterated that officials are relying on vaccinations and public adherence to the health measures to bring rising cases under control.

He said yesterday: “I do believe by the end of September, and I personally believe even before the general elections we’re going to see a reduction in the numbers. We’ve seen it fluctuate and so we may see some numbers going down even before that time…. And at the end of the day, as long as we continue to vaccinate, we will get over this.”

Mr Wells also admitted that additional recommendations by health officials have been put forward to Cabinet, but he did not disclose what those recommendations included. He only said they are being reviewed.