Health minister says private doctors are engaging

It was over a week ago that Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis during a national address made an appeal for doctors in private practice to help in the fight against COVID-19 “during this hour of great need”.

Yesterday, Minister of Health Dr. Duane Sands told The Nassau Guardian that the doctors have “engaged” but he did not have an idea as to the numbers.

“The private sector physicians have engaged and they have been working, particularly with the South Beach Clinic. The physician body has answered the call, and we push on,” Sands told The Guardian yesterday.

“This is an all-out engagement; all hands-on deck.”

The health minister said the private physicians are assisting where they are needed and are multitasking.

“We have individuals who are actively involved in the EOC (Emergency Operations Centre), they then go in and provide direct patient care. They are an integral part of union leadership and corralling the physician staff and helping to craft hospital and health care system policy. People are doing many different things. They’re multitasking.”

During yesterday’s COVID-19 press briefing, Sands announced that more than 200 health care workers are in quarantine. Upon completion of risk assessments, he said, he expects the number to be reduced dramatically.

Prior to yesterday, about 100 health care workers from the Medical Surgical Ward II at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) were quarantined after a patient in the ward tested positive for the coronavirus. All of the workers in quarantine were not from the exposure – some were from previous exposures, and were expected back to work.

To date,15 health care workers have tested positive for the virus, according to the health minister.

Sands also said visitation at PMH public and private wards have been suspended as part of updated prevention measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

“Updates regarding patients will be made to the identified and/or nearest relative and/or guardian by the assigned physician via telephone,” said Sands.

“Meals and beverages delivered for patients would also not be accepted during the restricted period. And if a patient requires a personal item, the hospital will contact the identified and/or nearest relative regarding the request. Delivery must be prearranged with ward management.

“Efforts were being made to provide videoconferencing for our patients on the Children’s Ward so that they can interact daily with a parent or guardian.”

The Bahamas has 72 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 11 deaths, with 792 people in quarantine, as of Thursday, April 23. Worldwide, 2,682,225 people were infected, with 187,330 deaths.

Questioned as to the staffing levels he thinks would be ideal for The Bahamas to fight coronavirus, Sands said it’s a changing dynamic, so it depends on what happens from day-to-day.

“As we have always managed, we deal with what we have and you make the most of what you have. It would be nice to have an unlimited supply of intensivists – we don’t have that. It would be nice to have an unlimited supply of emergency medical doctors – we don’t have that. It would be wonderful to have a whole army of infectious disease doctors – we don’t have that, but we have enough to get the job done.”

Sands said The Bahamas finds itself in the position of other countries, in an unprecedented “novel” scenario, resulting in every country having to change its way of providing healthcare.

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source https://thenassauguardian.com/2020/04/24/health-minister-says-private-doctors-are-engaging/