By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS  

Tribune Staff Reporter  

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

A CRITICAL shortage of beds at Princess Margaret Hospital has led to paediatric patients being treated in the hospital’s chapel, according to Consultant Physician Staff Association president Dr Charelle Lockhart.

She described the situation as challenging, noting that the makeshift treatment area lacks essential amenities like air conditioning and basic sanitation. 

“As you all might know, the Public Hospital Authority has put out a lot of statements to say that the hospital is at capacity,” she said. “We are full, and we are struggling with beds. I can specifically speak to the paediatric population because that is who I work with, and we are housing children in the emergency room, which is currently the chapel of the hospital.”

“In that space, we are struggling with no air conditioning and no sink to wash our hands, and we are trying to see new children who require acute care. This is my challenge as a paediatrician, and I am sure other physicians are facing similar challenges as they care for adult patients and those in obstetrics and gynaecology.”

The conditions at Princess Margaret Hospital have drawn public ire for decades, and this recent development underscores significant issues within the healthcare system, including ongoing staffing shortages and supply challenges that raise concerns about the quality of care being provided to patients.

Dr Lockhart said while the PHA is quick to issue statements about addressing challenges, the reality on the ground often fails to match those promises, highlighting a troubling disconnect between public communications and the conditions faced by patients and healthcare workers.

“It is a struggle; it is a mental struggle,” she said. “A lot of the days, when you don’t have the tools you need, that’s a struggle. You are getting criticised by the general public for not doing a good job, but we don’t run the hospital. We work for the Public Hospital Authority and use the supplies they provide. If we don’t have those, it’s very difficult to do our jobs to the best of our abilities. But again, every day we come out there and do the best we can with what we have.”

She also questioned how the government plans to staff a planned $290m hospital in New Providence, given the current manpower shortages at Princess Margaret Hospital.

The proposed 50-acre hospital at the Perpall Tract Wellfield will include a 200-bed speciality hospital primarily for women and children, featuring a neonatal unit, imaging services, a morgue, pathology services, and telemedicine. It will be located off the New Providence Highway, between the six-legged roundabout and Saunders Beach roundabout. 

“We are struggling now with short staff at the hospital that we have, so I am not quite sure building a new set of walls will solve all our problems,” Dr Lockhart said.

She said while the hospital frequently faces supply shortages, the region’s physicians are among the best and brightest and can make do with limited resources.