Bahamas News
PM Davis Tables National Food Distribution Audit Report
#TheBahamas, May 18, 2022 – During a Communication in the House of Assembly, by Prime Minister and Minister of Finance the Hon. Philip Davis, tabling an Audit
Report into the operations of the National Food Distribution Task Force and the National Food Distribution Programme, on May 16, 2022, he said that his Government had found it “consistently difficult to obtain genuine answers”, about operations.
“In the case of the Food Programme, requests for credible documentation of how $53 million was spent have not
been answered,” Prime Minister Davis said. “To be clear, documents have been provided, but they are not documents that answer the most important questions posed.”
He continued: “To make an analogy, if someone asks, ‘How much did your car cost?’, and the car owner answers, ‘My car is blue’, an answer of sorts has been provided, but not one of great relevance to the questioner.
“In the case of the Food Programme, some documents have been proffered up, but they do not provide answers to the Bahamian people’s questions.”
Prime Minister Davis said that the 138-page Audit Report “makes for startling reading”.
“In the General Findings of the Audit Report, 18 categories of major deficiencies were noted,” he said. “These ranged from a widespread lack of record-keeping, and widespread inconsistences relating to the sums of money handled, to a complete absence of minutes being kept of meetings, agreements and actions.”
“In other words, although tens of millions of the Bahamian people’s dollars were being spent, not even the most basic safeguards were in place,” he added. “A government that speechified about transparency at great length and at every opportunity did not conduct even the most basic oversight of a major government initiative.”
Prime Minister Davis said that the audit was astounding in documenting “the failures of the government” in establishing reporting and monitoring protocols, or internal controls. He noted that the Task Force could not provide the auditors with information that should have already been completed and readily available.
“Even in the instances where information was provided, only aggregate totals were offered, with none of the supporting documents that would be critical to corroborate the figures,” he said. “There’s no back-up provided: no contracts, no cheques, no receipts and no bank statements to support the information. No evidence, in other words.”
“It is noteworthy, too, that some organisations concerned have still refused to provide any information whatsoever,” he added.
Prime Minister Davis pointed out that, given the sums of money involved, “the deficiencies are breath-taking”.
“Public Officers did not have oversight of the expenditure of funds,” he said. “Expenditure of millions of dollars remains unexplained and undocumented.
“No audited financial statements have been provided, so information provided by the NGOs cannot be confirmed.”
He added: “Information Dashboards presented by the Task Force did not reconcile to the information provided by NGOs. So, for example, just to highlight the point, if the
Task Force is saying that they gave an NGO $100,000, and the NGO is saying they only received $80,000, what’s happened to the difference?”
“In fact, numerous instances have been identified when the NGOs concerned did not account for the total amount funds received from the Government,” Prime Minister Davis continued. “As I said in the Mid-Year Budget, we uncovered $2 million that was sitting in an NGO’s account. I am happy to say that money was then recovered for the Bahamian taxpayer. Are there millions more sitting idle in other accounts?”
Prime Minister Davis noted that there was no consistent system of recordkeeping at the Task Force or NGO level; and it was simply not credible to believe that from May 2020 to October 2021, they were too busy to keep proper records.
“And some of the records which were kept, raise even bigger questions. Why were such exorbitant fees paid for some services?” he added.
Prime Minister Davis gave the example of one restaurant being paid $6 per box for the delivery of each food parcel. That, he noted, amounted to approximately $50,000 per month.
“Why did they pay $6 to deliver a single parcel of corned-beef, flour, rice and the other very basic items they delivered to families in need?” he said. “The delivery cost would have been more than the food itself.
“And to this day, despite numerous requests, two NGOs have still not provided any information at all, and combined, they received more than $10 million.
“$10 million of the Bahamian people’s money, has simply vanished.”
Prime Minister Davis also called on those with knowledge of the underlying facts to come forward. Those who had failed to provide answers and evidence still have an opportunity – and an obligation – to do so, he added.
“We do not prejudge the circumstances we have uncovered,” he said. “We cannot say definitively whether we are looking at jaw-dropping incompetence … or something considerably worse.
“For now, I encourage the Bahamian people to read the Audit Report for themselves.”
Release: BIS
PHOTO CAPTION: Prime Minister and Minister of Finance the Hon. Philip Davis speaks during a Communication in the House of Assembly, tabling an Audit Report into the operations of the National Food Distribution Task Force and the National Food Distribution Programme, on May 16, 2022.
(BIS Photos/Ulric Woodside)
Bahamas News
Public Hospitals Authority Foundation Donates Dialysis Machines to Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH)
The Bahamas, September 21, 2026 – The Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) Foundation, a philanthropic organization launched in January 2024 to support public hospitals and healthcare clinics, donated eight additional dialysis machines for the PMH Renal Services unit.
Director of Foundations, Corporate and Community Relations for the Public Hospitals Authority and Executive Director of the foundation,
Alana Major, said this initiative is a part of the foundation’s “Sun, Sea and Second Chances” campaign. PHA Foundation aims to secure 30 machines for Princess Margaret Hospital.
“As of today, with this donation, we are now up to 15 machines, so we are very excited about that,” Ms. Major said.
Other members of the foundation were present, including PHA Foundation Chairman Mr. Selvin Basden, who said the foundation is committed to doing its part in fulfilling the mandate of the Government of the Bahamas.
“One of the tenets of the Government is to ensure that access to healthcare is a human right. We are committed to ensuring that, at least from our part, we can deliver on that principle,” Mr. Basden said.
The PMH Renal Services Unit dialyzes about 150 to 170 patients annually. The unit provides care for patients who have been diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease and now need renal support. Patients who receive dialysis typically come to the unit three times a week, either on a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule or a Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday schedule.
Head of Department for Renal Services, Dr. Thurston Carroll, said she and the unit are excited to receive the donation, as it will replace
machines that are not operating optimally.
“We are particularly excited about today’s donation because, although we have 20 stations within the dialysis unit, we have an aging fleet. These new machines and new water-treatment equipment will allow us to replace some of our aging equipment so that we can continue providing services to our patients.”
Foundation representatives noted that one or two organizations are already considering making bulk donations and if it happens, the foundation may be able to secure another 10 machines or another five machines in the very near future.
PMH Deputy Hospital Administrator Angelica Lockhart-Bastian and Hospital Administrator Mr. Tevard Bastian thanked the PHA Foundation for its donation to Princess Margaret Hospital.
Also in attendance were PHA Foundation Deputy Chairman Dr. Erecia Hepburn; Foundation guest Dr. Maria Oriakhi; Chief Biomedical Engineer Mr. Theodore Nottage; Administrative Officer Ms. Appapisa Neely; and Senior Assistant Hospital Administrator Mr. Valdez Bowe.
By Christina Williams
Bahamas Information Services
BIS Photos/Mark Ford
PHOTO CAPTION:
Group Photo, from left:
– Dr. Rhea Thurston Carroll, Director, Renal Services, PMH
– Nurse Kim Harris, Dialysis Nurse, Dialysis Unit, PMH
– Sister Darnell Roker, Nurse Manager, Dialysis Unit, PMH
– Mrs. Angelica Lockhart-Bastian, Deputy Hospital Administrator PMH
– Mr. Tevard Bastian, Hospital Administrator PMH
– Mrs. Alana Major, Director, Foundations, Community and Corporate Relations, PHA
– Mr. Selvin Basden, Chairman, PHA Foundation
– Dr. Erecia Hepburn, PHA Foundation Board
– Ms. Donette Danvers, Executive Assistant, Foundations, Community and Corporate Relations, PHA
Miami, Florida – Director of Aviation and Deputy Director General of Tourism, Dr. Kenneth Romer was presented with The 2025-2026 Infrastructure Leadership MVP Award, during the 10th Annual Caribbean Infrastructure Forum (CARIF) held in Miami September 15-16, 2026.
According to event organizers, New Energy Events, the MVP Leadership Award is the highest individual honor in the industry and is
presented to an individual who has demonstrated exceptional, strategic and visionary leadership in advancing infrastructure in the Caribbean. Chosen by an independent jury of regional industry leaders, “The recipient is recognized for their sustained impact, influence across sectors, and dedication to driving meaningful progress in policy, investment, or project delivery”, said Event Organizers.
Romer becomes only the third person from the Region, and the first from The Bahamas to receive the Leadership MVP Award, joining last year’s winner The Honourable Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados.
Represented among the Conference Speakers and present at the Award Ceremony was Minister of Energy, Utilities and Aviation, The Honourable JoBeth Coleby-Davis, who said that, “This award amplifies The Bahamas Government’s commitment to executing a vision that sets the benchmark for infrastructural investments opportunities across our archipelago while supporting exemplary Bahamian leaders like Dr. Romer, who are steering the Caribbean toward more resilient, investable, and innovative infrastructure”.
“While this award is deemed an individual honor, it is a recognition of the Bahamas’ position as a respected regional leader and more so, a
reflection of the incredible talent that resides within our small, but indomitable nation that continues to punch above its weight class as the world marks the manner of our bearing”, said Dr. Romer.
Dr. Romer has been instrumental in driving post-pandemic tourism recovery alongside the transformation of airports across the Family Islands through the Government’s landmark Family Islands Renaissance initiative. Under his leadership as Director of Aviation and Deputy Director General of Tourism, the sector has embraced a strategic, forward-looking approach focused on modernizing over 19 runways and terminals, strengthening safety and resilience, expanding international and regional connectivity, and leveraging public-private partnerships to deliver world-class facilities.
Dr. Romer’s work has helped translate the National Aviation Strategic Plan into tangible infrastructure projects that are creating new opportunities for tourism, investment, entrepreneurship and economic growth across the archipelago.
In 2025, he became the first person from the Caribbean and LATAM Region to be appointed to the Board of the International Association of Airports Executives.
NASSAU, Bahamas –— This back-to-school season Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC), the local producers of Coca-Cola and Dasani products, is offering huge wins for parents and guardians in their Level Up and Win Lunchtime giveaway.
The promotion encourages consumers to share their best lunch bag creations featuring the following products, Honest Kids juice box, Minute Maid 12oz Fruit Cooler and Dasani 12oz. water. Now until September 30th, the public can post or privately share a photo or video of
one of the listed products in their lunch bag.
At the end of the promotion, the top five lunch bags will be shared on social media, and consumers will have the opportunity to vote on their favorite lunchtime creations. Prizes include a $200 Kelly’s gift card, $150 John Bull gift card and six-months’ worth of each product.
Lauryn Clarke, Marketing Coordinator of Caribbean Bottling Company, shared what inspired this promotion.
” The back-to-school season is all about getting kids excited for the year ahead, and lunch boxes are a big part of that fun. We wanted to remind parents and guardians that hydration should be just as important as what is being learned in the classroom. This promotion is about encouraging families to pack a refreshing beverage their kids will enjoy and make hydration part of their everyday school routine,” Clarke said.
With a variety of brands and new flavors featured in this promotion, particularly Honest Kids’ newest flavor, Strawberry Peach Keen, and the new 12 oz. Minute Maid Fruit Coolers, CBC hopes this lunchtime giveaway will appeal to new consumers.
For more details on the Level Up and Win Lunchtime promotion, new products and events visit caribbean_bottling on social media.
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