While COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to remain the lowest they’ve been since early 2021, Consultant Physicians Staff Association (CPSA) President Dr. Sabriquet Pinder-Butler said the healthcare system is now being faced with an uptick in other admissions.
She said that many people did not seek healthcare when COVID numbers were higher, and the hospitals are now seeing the results of the delay in care.
“We have been having an increase in other patients with chronic health conditions, emergencies, gunshot wounds, all sorts presenting to the emergency department. And these are the majority of the admissions now that we’re seeing,” she said in an interview with The Nassau Guardian.
She said, “And so, that’s what is happening. So, we’re still being kept very much busy related to the care of patients with other medical conditions at the hospital.”
Pinder-Butler said staffing challenges continue to be an issue for the healthcare system.
“We still have staff that are impacted by COVID just as we have in the community as well,” she said.
“So, we still have those challenges as well as the challenges with the shortfall of staffing numbers etc. that has been in place from before. So, you know, those things tend to be additive.
“And so, even though you might have had a decline with COVID at the moment, we’re still dealing with the other system challenges and other healthcare challenges. And so, it is not necessarily a quiet time in healthcare either.”
Forty-three COVID cases were recorded in The Bahamas over the weekend. Of them, 40 were on New Providence, one on Grand Bahama, one on Eleuthera and one on Exuma.
The numbers are significantly down compared to just weeks ago.
As of Saturday, 22 people were hospitalized in The Bahamas with COVID, compared to nearly 200 in early September.
However, with the vaccination rate still below 40 percent, Pinder-Butler said The Bahamas is vulnerable to another wave of cases. In recent days, several European countries have increased restrictions as a result of a new surge in cases and hospitalizations.
Pinder-Butler said health officials are watching the global trends carefully.
“We’re watching other countries in the region and globally where they are being significantly impacted by COVID and having to look at other restrictive measures and considering what they’re going to do for Christmas and/or canceling certain things,” she said.
“… It is absolutely concerning for us and I don’t think it’s anything that we haven’t given thought to earlier on, simply because we have seen the highs and the lows of this COVID pandemic.
“… And so, although we are always hopeful that things will continue to stay low, we know that we still have to be sensible about our expectations and watch trends in other places, because we are living in a global community.
“So, in a lot of instances, what happens somewhere else can very easily happen in The Bahamas. And that is what we have seen with COVID, especially with us having travel and having persons come to the country and having Bahamians also travel to other countries.
“… Despite a relatively decent vaccination program, we still have a significant percentage of our population that’s unvaccinated. So, we know that different things will happen as it relates to the COVID cases.
“And so, we remain mindful of that and try to be cautious despite our hope and we are concerned when we see other countries having to tighten and watch for other things, because we know that in the past, those same things have also been, unfortunately, conditions that we have also had to deal with as it relates to COVID.”
Pinder-Butler noted the importance of keeping the economy going. However, she urged the public to be mindful in safeguarding and protecting themselves and each other, especially going into the holiday season.
The post CPSA says hospital seeing an increase in patients with other illnesses appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.
source https://thenassauguardian.com/cpsa-says-hospital-seeing-an-increase-in-patients-with-other-illnesses/
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