PM tells new doctors: We could not have needed you more

As he addressed 45 new graduates from the University of the West Indies School of Clinical Medicine and Research, Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis told them that their country invested heavily into them and their service could not have come at a better time. 

During an oath swearing and robing ceremony on Sunday at the British Colonial Hilton, Minnis said 90 percent of the graduates are vaccinated.

“We have arisen out of the ashes, in the midst of the worst of the pandemic,” he said.

“We have produced a Shaunae Miller and a Steven Gardiner. Olympic gold!

“And now, again, as our hospitals are maxed out, and our staff burnout, we have a cadre of 45 new medical students to strengthen our health fortress.

“The new reserve troops added to our health arsenal.”

With rising COVID infections, hospitalizations, and deaths, the three major hospitals in the country are at capacity. 

Officials at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) say the hospital is being inundated with COVID-19 patients, many of whom are fighting for their next breath.

As of August 8, 129 people were in hospital with COVID. One hundred and fourteen of those patients are moderately ill and 15 are in the intensive care unit. 

The Bahamas recorded over 2,100 new COVID cases in July. So far, 874 new cases have been reported in August. 

Minnis said, “The Bahamian people have invested heavily in you.

“From high school and to university for pre-med. The government subsidies amounted to some $4 million per year during your five years’ stay in medical school.

“Today, we see the returns of our investment.

“We are reaping dividends.

“We could not have needed you more for these unprecedented times.

“To whom much is given, much is expected.

“In this time of limited and constrained budgets, we have bent over backwards to secure employment for every one of you.

“My government recognizes that to be registered officially and legally as a doctor, you must secure an internship – 12 months of practice as an apprentice in the medical and surgical wards in the PMH, our only facility approved for an internship; the Rand Memorial as well but in a very limited capacity.

“The government is duty-bound and obligated to take you through that final step along your career path.”

But Minnis told the group that the government is “not obligated to, or responsible for guaranteed employment”. 

“If you have not done so, prepare for your USMLE, Canadian evaluation exams, or the PLAB,” he said.

“Forty years ago, I took the UWI postgraduate route and I have had no regrets.

“There will be competition for jobs and post-internship contracts may be limited.

“The early bird gets the worm.”

In response to the increase in hospitalizations, Minnis announced that Samaritan’s Purse, the evangelical Christian humanitarian aid organization, will lend assistance to improve hospital capacity.

He also said that the government will hire an additional 49 medical staff members, along with 111 nurses and nursing support staff to complement the staff currently dedicated to the COVID response.

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source https://thenassauguardian.com/pm-tells-new-doctors-we-could-not-have-needed-you-more/