Health unions brace for surge; urge people to seek treatment earlier

As COVID-19 cases increased dramatically this week and the government tightened public health measures, health union leaders said they are bracing for a surge as they urged those who may contract COVID to seek treatment as early as possible to achieve better outcomes.

After a brutal third wave claimed the lives of hundreds of Bahamians, Consultant Physicians Staff Association (CPSA) President Dr. Sabriquet Pinder-Butler said yesterday that they are preparing for a possible worst-case scenario.

“I don’t think as healthcare providers we’ve ever fully taken our eyes off of the pandemic, even though we were happy that there was, you know, a plateauing of numbers, and we were able to kind of catch up that whole breath from the COVID flurry, we always knew that just because of the dynamics of how this virus operates, and our behaviors as people that … based on what we saw last year … that perhaps during this month, and in January, we would have increases,” she said.

“And then, certainly with … omicron, we knew that … made it much more likely because we understand that the transmission is even more than delta.

“So, it’s really not a surprise, it’s just that, you know, we have to mentally get prepared for what potentially could be the worst-case scenario.”

Pinder-Butler, however, said they are hoping that speculation that omicron may cause milder illness proves to be true.

“We would obviously be hoping for the best, probably more than the most, because we’re working in the environment, as well as living with a pandemic among us, you know, so I think we’re still hoping that things will pan out as best as they can, with us just having mild disease but it’s still too early to tell how that will evolve,” she said.

“… But we know that things tend to peak more in about two weeks or so. So, I think we’re all kind of watching to see how that will happen.”

Yesterday, Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis announced a number of changes to health rules, including new limits on social gatherings and changes to travel testing requirements. 

Pinder-Butler said the steps could have been taken earlier to prevent hysteria but many saw that this may be coming. 

“I think that this is one of the reasons why we try to always tell everyone, encourage ourselves to stay up to date with what’s happening in the world because when we see other countries having restrictions and having to curb what’s happening in the holidays, and we also see that our numbers are actually going up, then, you know, we probably want us all to think that perhaps the same can happen to us, especially if we want to safeguard our country and try to mitigate the damage that this pandemic can do,” she said.

Pinder-Butler said she hopes the Ministry of Health will continue to consult unions to ensure there are no knee-jerk responses.

“We await to be engaged, so that we don’t have a reactionary situation, should we see an increase in numbers,” she said.

“But I think, for the most part, because we’ve been doing this for such a long time, the persons that have been at the helm, they know how to manage.

“We know how to manage COVID cases in the hospital, we know how to manage patients who have been coming into our clinics.”

Pinder-Butler called for people to be careful and responsible, especially over the holiday weekend.

She also encouraged people to seek healthcare advice early on if they believe they may have COVID.

Bahamas Nurses Union (BNU) President Amancha Williams also urged people to seek medical care early.

“Patients should not wait,” Williams said.

“For me, patients wait too long to get to the doctor.

“… Even if you go home, and you will have no symptoms, as soon as you have a symptom, you [should] report to the facilities.”

Williams also called for more accessible and widespread testing.

A shortage of nurses has been a pressing issue in The Bahamas since the start of the pandemic.

Last month, Williams said nearly 50 nurses had left the system since mid-September. 

Yesterday, she noted that a number of trained clinical nurses (TCNs) are expected to be brought in as registered nurses shortly.

Williams also said that a group of new nurses is expected to be hired in January. 

She said that she is concerned by the increasing numbers but feels the nurses are more prepared and knowledgeable than in previous waves. 

“There’s always going to be a concern when there is a surge,” Williams said.

“And it’ll always come to, do we have staff available? Is the hospital ready? Do we have the beds available to facilitate the amount of COVID that we will see coming in?

“And as was said, by the minister, they have various places available. They were bringing in staff to help during the fourth wave that is expected.

“So, at the end of the day, if this is not in place, then it will pose a concern for us. And we know that our nurses have already been through basically two years of fighting COVID, you know. And we’re really overworked. And we’re even afraid for our lives because we don’t have the best insurance.”

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