Samaritan’s Purse receives certification of registration

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Samaritan’s Purse International Relief has received its certification of registration from the government, allowing it to open a field office in The Bahamas and hire Bahamians.

Following the devastation of Hurricane Dorian on September 1 – 3, the international Christian organization deployed its Emergency Field Hospital to Grand Bahama to provide life-saving care to storm victims.

The Rand Memorial Hospital, the High Rock Clinic, health facilities in McClean’s Town and a number of East Grand Bahama facilities were lost during the storm.

Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) are still providing service to a number of areas on the island.

The government has asked Samaritan’s Purse to extend its memorandum of understanding until March 2020, to allow for the remediation of Rand and health care services in the storm-ravaged areas.

“We are thankful the Bahamian government granted us our registration last week,” the organization told Eyewitness News Online.

“Now that we are registered, we can complete the next steps and soon be able to hire Bahamian staff to support continued relief efforts and programming.”

Asked how many jobs will be made available, the organization’s Media Relations Manager Kaitlyn Lahn said that it was too early to know how many jobs needed to be filled.

She noted Samaritan’s Purse is presently identifying full-time positions that will be needed to support its programs in The Bahamas, and added that job openings will be announced soon.

The organization continues to help families recover from the effects of Hurricane Dorian.

The 40-bed field hospital has the capacity to serve more than 100 patients per day with and emergency room, intensive care unit, pharmacy and an operating room for up to 10 surgeries per day.

In the months following the storm, the organization has treated more than 7,000 people and distributed more than 16,600 tarps, more than 6,600 solar lights and more than 7,300 hygiene kits.

The organization has also produced some 345,200 liters of water to aid storm victims in their recovery.