Bahamas News

Health Minister says Newly Renovated West End Clinic Has Come a Long Way Since 1959

Published

7 years ago

October 9, 2017

#Bahamas, October 9, 2017 – Grand Bahama – A key feature of the newly renovated West End Clinic is the provision of an ambulance, which will afford 24-hour EMS services to the residents of West End.

“This marks the first time a state of the art ambulance with a crew of trained NEMS technicians will be stationed here,” said Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Duane Sands. “What this means is that we will be able to improve response times to emergency calls for residents of West Grand Bahama.”

The Health Minister, who was one of the guest speakers at the commissioning ceremony of the expanded West End Community Clinic on Friday, October 6, 2017, said that the Government’s efforts to further health development on the nation’s second most populous island has culminated in the commissioning of the expanded community clinic.

He pointed out that the project was built at a cost of over $2 million. “That is what it cost to transform the two pre-existing structures on this property into a single 6,348 square-foot modern health center,” said Minister Sands. “Indeed, the expansion of the clinic has doubled its capacity, and patients will experience an enhanced environment that offers additional and improved services.”

The expanded clinic includes a dedicated trauma area, increased examination and treatment rooms, upgraded dental suites, a fully outfitted staff training room, on-call and National Emergency Medical Services-ready rooms, and a refurbished two-bedroom residence, to accommodate nursing staff.

According to the Health Minister, the West End Clinic will offer primary care, as well as improved dental care and trauma services to the people of West Grand Bahama. He noted that a newly acquired portable digital X-ray machine will allow emergency patients off-site access to radiology services.

“The growth and development of health infrastructure and services here in Grand Bahama and across the Family Islands reflects the evolving nature of healthcare and the continually expanding demand for health services by the public,” said Minister Sands.

“We know that community health clinics provide primary health care as the entry point into the health system. These clinics also serve as the coordinators of care and services across the health system. In recent years, significant investments have been made and continue to be made to repair, expand and upgrade public health facilities, to improve access to services by expanding hours of operation in locations more convenient for patients.”

Additionally Minister Sands noted that emergency medical services on the island of Grand Bahama have increased over time to a current staffing level of 29, including 16 trained emergency service technicians and paramedics, and a fleet of six modern emergency service vehicles.

Minister Sands pointed out that on the very site where the newly expanded West End Clinic has been built, the Government of The Bahamas established the first public clinic on the island of Grand Bahama in 1959. He noted that since that time the Rand Memorial hospital has evolved into an essential lynchpin in the public health platform, providing hospital-based care to the residents of the entire Northern Bahamas.

“Its services include a modern emergency room and urgent care center, 21^st Century surgical facilities, a psychiatric ward, obstetrics & gynecology services as well as rehabilitation and out-patient services.

“The hospital, together with the National Emergency Medical Services and nine outlying community health clinics across Grand Bahama and its adjacent cays, with this facility being one of them, forms the local health system known as The Grand Bahama Health services, or GBHS, operating under the Public Hospitals Authority,” said Minister Sands.

The Health Minister commended the Public Hospitals Authority, as well as those contracted to execute the significant construction and engineering works for the expanded West End Clinic. He noted that on a previous trip to Grand Bahama, he had the opportunity to tour the newly expanded, fully revitalized public health clinic and can say with confidence that the new facility represents a job well done on behalf of the Bahamian people.

MINISTER’S REMARKS – Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Duane Sands was one of the guest speakers at the official opening ceremony of the newly- renovated West End Clinic on Friday, October 6, 2017. Minister Sands says that the West End clinic has expanded its services to residents and will have full-time ambulance service.

09(BIS Photo/Lisa Davis)

Bahamas News

Bahamas economic growth

Published

4 days ago

May 4, 2024

Shanieka

Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

The Bahamas’ economy is in good standing according to reports from the Bahamas National Statistical Institute which released the Quarterly Gross Domestic Product Series. They indicate that quarterly GDP trends for 2023 saw increases compared to 2022, a sign of recovery from the Covid 19 pandemic.

The most significant increase was 9.9 percent in the first quarter of 2023, and the industries responsible for the growth include Accommodations and food, construction and Arts.

Bahamas News

RBC appoints new Country Manager and Area Vice President for Turks & Caicos

Published

4 days ago

May 4, 2024

Shanieka

RBC Royal Bank (Bahamas) Limited (“RBC”) is pleased to announce the recent appointment of Kerryl-Lyn King-Henry as Country Manager and Area Vice President (“AVP”), Personal and Commercial Banking, Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI).

In her new role as Country Manager and AVP, King-Henry will take on full responsibility for the bank’s operations, strategy, and development in the TCI market, with a strong focus on solidifying partnerships with the Government, regulatory bodies, and the local community.

King-Henry brings to the role a dynamism influenced by nearly 25 years of industry experience. Prior to her new appointment, she served as AVP of Business Banking in Trinidad and Tobago. She has held progressively senior roles within both personal and commercial banking, as well as various functional units.

King-Henry holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, with a specialization in Leadership, FinTech and Big Data Analysis, in addition to a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. Further enriching her professional profile, Kerryl-Lyn is a certified John C. Maxwell Coach, Trainer, Teacher, and Speaker. Her passion for leadership and development is matched by her commitment to community service, as she actively volunteers her time and leverages her professional expertise to mentor and support others. “

Kerryl-Lyn’s extensive experience and proven leadership capabilities make her the perfect choice to lead our operations in the Turks & Caicos Islands,” said Ericka Rolle, RBC’s Managing Director and Vice President, Personal Banking, The Bahamas and TCI.

“Her commitment to excellence, combined with a genuine passion for community engagement, aligns perfectly with our Bank’s purpose of helping clients thrive and communities prosper. We are excited to see the positive impact she will undoubtedly bring to her new role,” she added.

Bahamas News

Get your laugh on, March On show coming to Turks and Caicos with box office at IGA Friday and Saturday

Published

5 days ago

May 3, 2024

Shanieka

Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer

After resounding success in the Bahamas, hit play ‘March On, The Story of Us’ has been inundated with requests to take their show on the road, and the first location they’ll be hitting is Providenciales Turks and Caicos with tickets on sale this weekend from May 3 to 5.

Magnetic Media spoke to Gea Pierre, playwright, who told us the TCI was a natural first choice for the cast and crew.

“We started ‘March On’ in November 2023 and it was really an opportunity for us to tell a story, the story of the Bahamas and to encompass the nations that we have an amazing relationship with like the Turks and Caicos,” she continued “We really got a lot of people calling [for the play] from [the TCI], so much so we really had to pay attention.”

The response to ‘March On’ at home and abroad was overwhelming.

“To say it went well is an understatement, even before we opened we got calls from Canada, from all over the US with people wanting us to come and perform.”

And take the show on the road they did! Gea and her team have launched “March On: The Tour” and will be in Providenciales to perform on May 10th and 11th. It’s the first of a number of stops which include Nassau and several US locations.

A ticket booth will be set up from today, Friday May 3 in the foyer of IGA grocery store beginning at 1 p.m. Friday and then again all day on Saturday, allowing residents to purchase with cash.

Online tickets are available for purchase with credit cards. Then the full team returns on Friday, May 11 for the actual showing at 8 pm and their two showings on Saturday at 4pm and 8 pm. The venue is Brayton Hall, Providenciales under the patronage of Washington Misick, TCI Premier and First Lady Delthia Misick.

Describing the close familial relationships between the TCI and the Bahamas, for many on the crew it will be like coming home Gea told us, for others it will be a treat to visit for the first time, the places that their grandparents described.

Tickets are only $60 for general seating and $75 for VIP seating.

Gea maintained that the team wanted to keep the show as accessible to residents as possible.

As for why you should come out and see the play, other than the great price point:

“The way that people have responded to it is non stoplaughter, people have been moved to tears because there’s some emotion. It does not only lend to Bahamians. It’s a family drama, and anyone who’s ever been a part of a family is going to get something out of it, and something moving.”