By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

THE president of the Bahamas Nurses Union is sounding the alarm about a “crisis” in Princess Margaret Hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department (A&E), telling this newspaper the area has no space to keep some patients.

She revealed yesterday that 41 admissions were waiting in A&E. 

“There’s a crisis in A&E and still we’re dealing with patients,” Amancha Williams said. “We’re still dealing with emergencies that are coming in. Accidents, people coming rushing from their house in a state needing medical attention and so we’re still dealing with those.

 “We still have patients (with) broken limbs - whatever we have them still in the Department of A&E which is a small department due to the fact that they’re renovating. We have no space (for) these 41 patients and we’re depriving them of good care.”

 When contacted for a response, Dr Aubynette Rolle, Public Hospitals Authority managing director, was transparent on the number of admissions and limitations with bed space.

 “We are in a critical state. So this morning we did have quite a bit of admissions, some 47 in total, and as a result it caused a complete backup in the emergency room. Because you know we are doing infrastructure renovation, we had limitations with bed space,” she told The Tribune.

 “So we do have a partnership with Doctors Hospital as well, but we had issues in terms of transferring the patients in and out. We’ve been able to open up one of the ones (wards) which is Female Medical One that has the capacity to accommodate up to 24 patients.”

 She added: “So we’ve started that process of moving patients there. We’ve also spoken with Doctors Hospital with our partners to review getting patients. So we now have patients transitioning out to go to Doctors Hospital West as well and then also we’ve been moving to see if we could get some of the infrastructural works done.

 “So we are really making some inroads and there’s been delays simply because of the inadequate amount of beds. So as fast as we get trolleys coming in we have a lot of sick persons and in speaking with the clinicians this morning, we have seen an uptick from November, all of those patients with the non-chronic communicable diseases. Those are the patients that we now see coming to the emergency room. So it’s a crisis going on. It’s not only at PMH. It’s all over, but we’re trying to handle it as much as possible,” Dr Rolle said.

 Yesterday the BNU president said she has reached out to PMH officials, but has not got a plan about dealing with the situation.

 “I’ve called and I have not gotten a plan - and I expressed to them the concerns of the nurses and the doctors and that they’re tired and they are waiting to sit out. They are waiting to sit out because there is nothing happening and their plan A is not working,” Ms Williams said.

 “We’re still taking in patients from various Family Islands on emergency flights. So we must be up and running because we are the capital. We must have a functioning hospital that could accommodate our great demand and that’s what I’m saying to you - it’s really in a crisis. We’re not meeting the demands of the country,” Ms Williams said.

 Dr Rolle conceded that medical staff may be at the point of exhaustion, but believes all partners are on board.

 “Remember, now they had to make a shift so they’re not in their normal space as well because of the renovations going on in the urgent and emergent care project. So they have shifted to the GPC side, which is much smaller than the average emergency room floor and we also have to appreciate that the nurses and the physician have been working continually from COVID,” she explained.

 “They have not had a break and so with this uptick, they are very exhausted. I’ve had an opportunity to speak with persons on the ground. I’ve also had an opportunity to speak with the medical team. I’ve met with the executive and I also had a conversation with the principal nursing officer along with my team from here this morning. So I spent quite a bit of time letting them know what are the plans, what are the strategies, and I think all partners are on board.”

 Last July a major jump in hospital admissions left the Princess Margaret Hospital “bursting from the seams”, forcing health officials to have some patients relocated to Doctors Hospital West to receive medical care.

 Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville said the situation became apparent due to a major influx of non-COVID patients seeking care at the hospital.

 In December, Dr Darville announced a formal agreement that allowed the transfer of Princess Margaret Hospital patients to Doctors Hospital West. The partnership is expected to last 14 weeks while renovations at PMH are continuing.