In its recently published manifesto, the Free National Movement (FNM) listed the establishment of a national blood bank and the redevelopment of Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) as some of its top priorities in healthcare should it win the next election.
“We will listen to the four in five Bahamian doctors that have said that existing hospital upgrades are needed, and deliver on the long promised multi-story medical, surgical, maternal and child health facility at the Princess Margaret Hospital, and the expansion and modernization of the Rand Memorial Hospital in Freeport, Grand Bahama,” the document, titled We Work for You, read.
“In addition, we will undertake the necessary new construction to meet our people’s needs across The Bahamas and complete medical facilities under construction in Grand Bahama.”
The Davis-led Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) has moved forward with plans to construct a new specialty hospital in western New Providence for $267 million.
However, the plans have been met with skepticism in many circles, where concerns have been raised over prioritizing a new facility, even as existing healthcare facilities require significant investments and there is a longstanding healthcare worker shortage.
The document also noted plans to invest “at least” $50 million in Family Island healthcare infrastructure, noting there would be a substantial focus on the use of telemedicine and AI.
Along with the creation of a national blood bank, the FNM also pledged to build a standalone morgue and coroner’s facility.
“We will finally establish a true national blood bank, and we will deploy mobile donation units across the islands, so that we can put an end to this chronic shortage of blood that has put lives at risk, and we will build the auxiliary infrastructure that this system desperately needs,” said FNM Chairman Dr. Duane Sands, who is the party’s candidate for Bamboo Town, as he spoke from the stage on Sunday.
The FNM also cited efforts to recruit more healthcare workers to address the shortage and fix crowding at Accident and Emergency at PMH
Sands, a former minister of health, also raised concern over what he described as a mental health “crisis” in The Bahamas, citing rising suicides and a Ministry of Health report, released last year, which found that a high percentage of teenagers have contemplated suicide.
“This, ladies and gentlemen, is a crisis, and it has been met with silence from the people in power,” Sands said.
“Your FNM government will deploy mental health professionals in all major community clinics across The Bahamas, making preventative mental health care the standard accessible service. We will introduce mental health first aid training in every public secondary school, so that at least one staff member in every building is equipped to intervene early to help a young person in crisis.”
Sands said an FNM government would incentivize the recruitment of mental health professionals and pilot digital mental health services in “hard-to-reach areas”, including the Family Island.
Other health-related pledges included the expansion of NHI for catastrophic coverage, investments to improve the availability of groundbreaking treatments, the full implementation of the Dental Professions Bill and the modernization of dental regulations.
