By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune News Editor

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

SIX aviation-grade ambulances are headed to the Family Islands as part of a donation from the Bahamas Aviation, Climate and Severe Weather Network (BACSWN), with the first two expected to arrive by October.

The donation will follow BACSWN’s $400 million heads of agreement with the Bahamian government, which includes mandates to support crash, search and rescue coordination as well as strengthen healthcare infrastructure throughout the archipelago.

Michael Strachan, group financial advisor of BACSWN, told The Tribune that the company signed an agreement with its partner, Response Plus Medical (RPM), on Independence Day to buy six ambulances, which will be operated through the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) and the Ministry of Health.

“We’re putting in place a training structure for ambulance staff and improving the capacity of the existing system through EMT training,” he said, adding that a trainer from RPM is arriving in New Providence this week to begin preparations.

The donations come at a time when the government has struggled to source ambulances for the country.

“The ones PHA sourced last time were not fully suited for operations on the family islands,” Mr Strachan said. “These ones are state-of-the-art, the latest generation, which are more suited for the Family Islands. The ones we’re going to be getting for Nassau are more heavy-duty. These will have everything you can think of versus the other ones that were standard shift, didn’t have enough qualified persons who could operate them.”

Only the first six ambulances are being donated; future equipment will be covered under proposed overflight fees.

BACSWN has also signed a letter of intent to acquire two crash, search and rescue helicopters, but is awaiting necessary approvals and licensing through PHA.

Mr Strachan said the company is leveraging its partnership with RPM, a UAE-based healthcare provider operating in multiple Middle Eastern countries, to source equipment that is otherwise hard to get.

“The relationship with RPM has allowed us to take advantage of their supply chain network,” he said. “They operate eight hospitals throughout the Middle East. They have contracts with the Saudi government and Abu Dhabi, and they operate in Oman, Qatar, and eight or nine countries in that region. So they have a supply chain where they purchase 50, 60 ambulances at a time. They have allowed us to utilise their supply chain, so we’re essentially purchasing from the inventory they have already ordered. That gives us a quicker turnaround and access to the same level of equipment that they are operating.”

He clarified that BACSWN is not providing direct medical services, but rather delivering the infrastructure to support health and emergency response efforts.