By FAY SIMMONS

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

Former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said the Public Hospital Authority has insufficient staff and called for the Davis administration to use the funds sourced for the new specialty hospital to correct the existing issues.

Speaking in Parliament, Dr Minnis said constructing the $290m specialty hospital will worsen the staffing issues in the public healthcare system and “further stretch limited financial resources”.

He noted the challenges in staffing the medical facilities built on Abaco and Exuma and predicted the specialty hospital will be “another white elephant” that will have issues due to the shortage of healthcare workers.

“We must protect Princess Margaret Hospital,” said Dr Minnis.

“You cannot allow the people their only resource to health care lose confidence in their own institution, but we fight on policies, but not the destruction of the hospital. Adding a new standalone facility is going to make staffing problem worse and is going to further stretch limited financial resources.

“The perfect example is we built an excellent facility in Abaco, mini hospital in Exuma, the challenge is the staffing. You’re moving to construct another white elephant. You would have that challenge. Three Prime Ministers recognise that, and recognise that the facility must be where it’s located now, and that’s why monies were sourced to do that.”

Dr Minnis said the funds allocated for the project would be better served increasing staff and purchasing new equipment for the existing medical facilities in the country and accused the Davis administration of creating over a thousand job opportunities for Chinese expatriates at the “expense” of Bahamian workers.

“I say to you, you’re going down the wrong way, wrong channel,” said Dr Minnis.

“Use that money to correct the problems that we have, staffing, supplies, equipment, or you will construct a white elephant that nobody can use.

“The PLP is not building a new hospital. They are building a new building away from the central hospital with thousands of Bahamians needing jobs and incomes, the PLP is proposing a project that may give more than 1,000 jobs to Chinese nationals at the expense of Bahamian workers and families.”

Last week, Dr Michael Darville, Health and Wellness Minister said the national nurse shortage has been cut in half, with most remaining vacancies in specialised nursing roles.

He said the shortage has now decreased to 200, down from the 450 nurses the public health system was short in August.

Addressing concerns over staffing at the new speciality hospital in the Perpall Tract area of New Providence and a new hospital in Grand Bahama, Dr Darville said: “The Bahamian people can rest assured that on completion of both hospitals, we will not create white elephants. We are recruiting doctors and nurses from abroad, and we are sending Bahamians abroad for postgraduate training.”

“My only red flag is that sometimes when we send them abroad, they do not return home. That is a difficult thing to swallow, but trust me, we have excused our short-, medium-, and long-term plan.”

He maintained the nursing shortages are not unique to The Bahamas but affect the entire Caribbean.

He added: “We are constantly coming together as a unit to speak to the United States government, asking them not to recruit so heavily in our jurisdiction.”

“Taking 40 nurses from The Bahamas can almost destabilise our system, and so we are constantly fighting back and recruiting from abroad.”