By ANDREW COAKLEY

Bahamas Information Services

FREEPORT, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas — The Government of The Bahamas is committed to improving health care facilities throughout The Bahamas; and Minister of Health and Wellness, the Hon. Dr. Michael Darville is ensuring that health care facilities in the Northern Bahamas get the upgrades necessary to take health care to the next level.

Over the past few weeks Dr. Darville, along with Ministry of Health officials have been on a tour of clinics and hospitals throughout the country assessing those facilities, their staff complements, their needs and making recommendations for any required upgrades and improvements.

Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Hon. Philip Davis accompanied Dr. Darville on some of those site tours.  Most recently the Prime Minister and Dr. Darville toured health care facilities in the Northern Bahamas, namely Abaco, Grand Bahama, Bimini and the Berry Islands.

The Prime Minister was able to witness firsthand a monumental achievement in the life of the clinic in Marsh Harbor, Abaco, when the surgical theatre was used for the first time.

“It was an historic moment for this clinic,” said Dr. Darville, during the tour of the Marsh Harbor clinic. “Through a philanthropic effort, they are now doing cataract surgery here in Abaco. The people in Abaco are so grateful for this milestone. What some people may not know is that the Abaco clinic is a sister clinic of the one in Exuma.  So, what you see in Abaco is pretty much the same as what you would see in Exuma.”

Prime Minister Davis got an opportunity to tour the operating theatre in the clinic on Friday, August 9, 2024.  He noted that with the help of Liquid Legacy and the World Cataract Foundation, the government was able to offer surgeries, eye examinations and screenings, free to Abaco residents.

Dr. Darville thanked the staff at the Marsh Harbor clinic for the hard work they’ve put in to advance the procedures available at the clinic.  He confirmed that the Ministry of Health and Wellness is deep into its project to renovate the 41 clinics throughout the Family Islands. The Health Minister has visited most of those clinics where he received updates on the progress of the works being carried out thus far.

On Saturday, August 10, 2024, Prime Minister Davis, Dr. Darville, Minister for Grand Bahama, the Hon. Ginger Moxey and Ministry of Health officials toured the construction site of the $210 million Freeport Health campus, located off East Sunrise Highway.

The completion of the Freeport Health Campus, according to Minister Darville, will unify the Rand Memorial Hospital with other medical facilities in the Northern Bahamas, including clinics in Abaco, Bimini and the Berry Islands.

“A lot of people don’t know, but the Rand Memorial Hospital is not classified as a full hospital,” explained Dr. Darville. “There are Memorandums of understanding with some sub-specialties that are tied in with the Princess Margaret Hospital. With this particular facility, we intend to resolve that and begin to open up this new Northern health facility to the Northern region, inclusive of Abaco, Bimini and the Berry Islands.”

The Davis Administration broke ground for the Health Clinic in May of 2023. Since then, steady progress in the construction of the multi-faceted facility has been taking place. During the tour of the work in progress, Prime Minister Davis noted that the facility will take a more holistic approach to advanced health care in Grand Bahama and the Northern Bahamas.

The health campus facility will be built over three phases.

Phase one will consist of a nearly 60,000 square foot clinic.

Phase two will include an inpatient surgical suite urgent care facility.

Phase three will involve the construction of an acute care hospital with 126 inpatient beds. One of the most important components of the new facility will be the opening of an oncology center, which will give Grand Bahama cancer patients the option of remaining on island during cancer treatments.
The first phase is expected to be completed by the middle of 2025.

“We intend to have this facility also serve as a research hub for international researchers in matters of new innovations in medicine, including regenerative medicine and longevity,” said Prime Minister Philip Davis, during the tour of the construction works.

“We have the doctor’s university just down the street that will hopefully be integrated in what we’re doing here.”

It was during the initial groundbreaking that Minister Darville pointed out that drawings had been made for nine new clinics throughout the Family Islands. He also noted that 41 clinics in the country were set to undergo renovations.

PHOTO CAPTION

CONSTRUCTION UPDATE ON FREEPORT HEALTH CAMPUS – Prime Minister, the Hon. Philip Davis (center), along with Minister of Health and Wellness, the Hon. Dr. Michael Darville (right) and Minister for Grand Bahama, the Hon. Ginger Moxey (left), is given an update on the construction of the new Freeport Health Campus on Saturday, August 10, 2024. The first phase of the $210 million multi-faceted project is expected to be completed by mid 2025.   (BIS Photo)

Garfield Ekon

Staff Writer

Africa, September 4, 2024 – The first batch of Mpox vaccines have finally arrived on the African continent this week; weeks after they had been made available in other parts of the world and in quantities far below what is needed in order to tackle the dangerous new variant of the virus.

Vaccines have already been made available in more than 70 countries outside Africa and the failure to provide the continent with anti-Mpox shots until now displays worrying problems in the way international agencies deal with global health emergencies, medical officials and scientists warned last week.

The 10,000 shots are donated by the United States (US), and follows the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring, earlier this month, urging that the process needed to give African countries easy access to large quantities of vaccines via international agencies – despite the fact that the disease has afflicted people there for decades.

On Tuesday September 3, the UN confirmed that the UAE had dispatched several aircraft carrying Mpox vaccines to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, and Cameroon.

Mpox is a potentially deadly infection that causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions, and spreads through close physical contact. It was declared a global health emergency by the WHO on 14 August after the new variant, known as clade Ib, began to spread from the Democratic Republic of the Congo into neighbouring African countries.

The long wait for WHO approval for international agencies to buy and distribute the vaccines has forced individual African governments and the continent’s public health agency – the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) – to instead request donations of shots from rich countries.

Helen Rees, a member of the Africa CDC’s Mpox emergency committee, and Executive Director of the Wits RHI Research Institute in Johannesburg, South Africa, said it was “really outrageous” that, after Africa struggled to access vaccines in the Covid pandemic, the continent had once again been left behind.

The Africa CDC has said that 10 million doses may be needed across the continent to cope with the outbreak. The WHO asked vaccine manufacturers only this month to submit the information needed for the Mpox shots to receive an emergency licence – the WHO’s accelerated approval for medical products. It urged countries to donate shots until the process was completed in September.

Also, the WHO said it did not have the data it required to do a full review for approval of the vaccine, and an emergency licence process can be carried out only after a public health emergency of international concern has been declared.

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – The Migrant Health Unit (MHU) is reminding the public about the MHU Virtual System, an online platform designed to streamline the process of obtaining health certificates. This user-friendly system allows applicants to create accounts with their email addresses, enabling them to manage and track their applications directly, without needing intermediaries.

Key Features and Benefits:

1. Create and Reuse a Personal Account:

• Applicants can easily register using their email addresses to create an applicant account.
• This account can be reused for future health certificate applications, providing a convenient and continuous service.

2. Submit Applications with Ease:

• Applicants can create health certificate applications online, making the process quick and hassle-free.
• Applicants will be required to enter their personal information and past medical history before selecting a clinic.
• The system allows for the selection of preferred clinics and doctors, offering greater control over healthcare choices.

3. Schedule Appointments:

• After creating a submission, applicants can contact their chosen clinic directly to schedule an appointment, ensuring a smooth and coordinated process.
• During the appointment, doctors will complete a physical examination and conduct screening and diagnostic evaluations.
• Once completed, the clinic will submit the application on behalf of the applicant.

4. Track Application Status:

• The MHU Virtual System enables applicants to monitor the status of their applications in real-time through the portal.
• Applicants will be directly contacted by their clinic if any additional information is required, ensuring clear and timely communication.

5. Receive Automated Updates:

• Once an application is approved, applicants will receive an automated alert from MHU.
• Applicants can download their health certificates directly from the portal or via text message.

Important Reminder: To ensure continuous access to your health certificate information, it is crucial to register with an email address that you will maintain long-term. This will allow you to easily access your account for renewals or future applications.

This reminder is part of our ongoing efforts to enhance public awareness of the MHU Virtual System and its benefits, ensuring a more efficient, transparent, and user-friendly experience for all applicants.

To submit an application, or to access the MHU Virtual System, please visit https://healthcertificate.gov.tc.

For additional assistance, call 649-338-5063 or email migranthealth@gov.tc.