By Fay Simmons

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

The Opposition’s finance spokesman yesterday demanded that the Grand Bahama Port Authority’s (GBPA) Lucaya Service Company (LUSCO) fix Freeport’s “deteriorated” roads.

Speaking in Parliament, Kwasi Thompson, also the MP for East Grand Bahama, urged LUSCO in particular to repair the potholes plaguing residents as they commute to work on the East Sunrise Highway. 

“Grand Bahama has always been known for the state of its roads and the good state of its roads. Recently, however, it has deteriorated, and so East Sunrise Highway, if you're going towards passing Chesapeake, going towards the Casuarina Bridge, now has huge potholes that residents have to navigate around,” said Mr Thompson.

“The responsibility for this rests with LUSCO Service Company, and we are asking for LUSCO to do what they are mandated to do, which is to ensure that the roads are kept in good repair, and that would be on East Sunrise Highway. And there are many roads, but these ones in particular - East Sunrise Highway, Brinkhill, Canopy Lane, Manton Drive - we want LUSCO to pay closer attention to, and to ensure that they remedy the potholes that are on that road.”

During his contribution, Mr Thompson also raised concerns about overcrowding at the Rand Memorial Hospital. 

Recounting a constituent’s experience with a family member who spent four days in the hospital’s emergency room due to a lack of available beds, he said conditions at the Rand have created a desperate situation for many patients and their families.

In response, Dr Michael Darville, minister of health and wellness, acknowledged the challenges in confirming that both the Rand Memorial Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital have been operating beyond capacity for decades.

He explained that patient surges are cyclical, and while emergency rooms can sometimes cope, there are periods when they are over-subscribed.

“The challenges are real, and as minister I'm not going to stand up and try to create an indication that the hospital has the capacity to really handle the influx. And it's cyclical. Sometimes it's okay, and then sometimes our accident and emergency is over-subscribed, but we have come to the realisation that we must do the best we can,” said Dr Darville.

“Cases that require monitoring and in-hospital care, we have created areas in our accident and emergency and elsewhere, which are classified as virtual ward because it is our responsibility to make the best out of a situation that currently exists for the family and many other families in Grand Bahama. Likewise, in New Providence, we are fully aware of the circumstances.”

Dr Darville highlighted the severity of the issue, stating that the Rand Memorial Hospital is currently operating at roughly twice its intended capacity but the Government remains committed to long-term solutions via the construction of new hospitals. 

“We apologise to the population, and this is the reason why this administration made a commitment for the construction of two state-of-the-art hospitals to address these shortages. We are not there quite yet, but the commitment is done, and we are moving to try to resolve the situation,” said Dr Darville.

“And so I do apologise, but the reality is real. The facilities are over-subscribed. We have one hospital in Grand Bahama, the Rand Memorial Hospital, that is operating at probably twice its capacity. And these are real situations that we confront in health care, but this administration is moving, trying to resolve them.”