NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Services at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) and Grand Bahama Health Services (GBHS) continued to be impacted for a fourth consecutive day yesterday after scores of employees reportedly called in sick from both institutions.
According to the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA), around 150 employees called in sick last Thursday amid ongoing concerns over the number of coronavirus cases hospitalized and some workers not receiving an honorarium payment from the government for working on the frontlines during the height of the pandemic.
In a statement, the PHA said affected institutions implemented measures to mitigate the effects of staff shortages where possible and advised the public to expect delays in accessing some services at both institutions.
“The authority is recommending, where possible, the public access services at these institutions at a later date,” read the statement.
“PMH has experienced fluctuations in the reporting in of clinical staff.
“PMH Laboratory Services has reported staff shortages resulting in delays in services.
“Radiology department is experiencing service delays as a result of staff shortages.
“Emergency CT scans are being referred to Oak Tree Medical Centre.
“Morgue services are suspended until further notice.
“Efforts are being made to expedite the release of remains.
“Shortages reference housekeeping services is being addressed by the contracted private housekeeping company.”
Some staff that worked on the frontlines of the pandemic were given between $1,000 and $5,000 in honorariums.
Minister of Health Renward Wells has stressed that the long-promised honorarium was “not for every healthcare worker”, noting the government had allocated some $3 million for that payout.
However, among those individuals to receive the gift were the health minister’s driver and personal assistant, which some healthcare workers took as “a slap in the face“.
In a statement clarifying the payouts, the Ministry of Health said the honorarium was intended for a subset of frontline healthcare workers who were the early heroes in the COVID-19 fight.
The ministry denied the circulation of what it claimed were false reports on social media suggesting that Wells received an honorarium payment of $10,000 for the COVID-19 response.
The statement also sought to clarify the payment given to the minister’s driver and personal assistant, indicating that the pair was awarded $1,158.40 and not the $5,000 as purported.
Yesterday, the PHA said community clinics associated with the GBHS community health services were closed on the weekend, but remained on call for emergencies.
It said the Rand Memorial Hospital’s nursing staff had resumed working and diagnostic and laboratory services were being provided on an on-call basis over the weekend, as they were not impacted by staff shortages.
Additionally, services at Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre were operating as scheduled and services to patients were proceeding uninterrupted.
