Remaining healthcare workers experienced burnout
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A total of 243 healthcare professionals have been infected with the coronavirus, Chief Medical Officer Dr Pearl McMillan revealed yesterday.
These include 116 healthcare workers at Princess Margaret Hospital, 38 at Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre, 54 at the Grand Bahama Health Facility, 16 among public health facilities in the Family Islands, and 19 in public health facilities in New Providence.
During a Ministry of Health virtual press conference, McMillan said another 226 healthcare workers — 35 in the Department of Public Health and 191 in the Public Hospitals Authority — have had high-risk exposures.
Another 962 healthcare had low-risk exposures and were being monitored.
A total of 415 were cleared to return to work during the week beginning September 21, according to McMillan.
Minister of Health Renward Wells acknowledged the shortage of nurses, doctors and other healthcare workers.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the situation and we are close to seeing burnout within our staff complement who have diligently fought this pandemic day in and day out from March of this year,” Wells said.
He maintained that 29 senior house officers were in the process of being hired and “many will report for duty as soon as Monday”.
He said 20 of them will be deployed at Princess Margaret Hospital, four in the Department of Public Health, three at the Sandilands Rehabilitation Center, and two in Freeport.
The minister said two additional nurses were hired in the Department of Public Health, and three more were in the process of being hired.
According to Wells, said four more nurses have joined on a sessional basis.
He said: “These numbers may seem small, but every additional person counts and provided some relief for their colleagues. We will continue to do more to increase our staff complement.”
To this end, the minister said 71 nurses are expected to join the healthcare system following the passage of their exams on November 1.
He also said the government expects to recruit 100 nurses from abroad.
He called on “willing and available” healthcare professionals to join the battle against the virus.
