Democratic National Alliance (DNA) Leader Arinthia Komolafe called on the government to improve the country’s healthcare system by providing one year contracts for junior doctors and a better paid workforce.
Komolafe made this call during a press conference on Tuesday where she discussed the government’s lack of initiatives to resolve issues such as poor medical facilities and low wages.
“We have this challenge in our healthcare system where we have brain drain. We’re losing qualified professionals to developed countries like the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom because the benefits here, the salary here, working conditions here are not up to standard for qualified healthcare professions to work under,” Mrs. Komolafe said.
DNA Deputy Leader Buscheme Armbrister pointed out the problem of bed shortages at the Princess Margaret Hospital.
“In ICU, they don’t have any trolley, or they very seldom have trolley, to carry people from the ICU to the theater because the trolleys are being used in A&E as beds,” Mr. Armbrister said.
“When we look at the wasteful spending that this government is doing, it is deplorable. We could, $400 for a bed, but we’re wasting $9,000 on the house for the governor. Total shame! Very lucrative contracts are going to special interest, but have people in trolleys in A&E for sometimes days on end. This cannot be accepted in the 21st century Bahamas.”
Both Armbrister and Komolafe noted that these are issues that have been compounded over the years and is a global phenomenon, but the party leader insisted that responsibility must be taken to put the necessary structure in place for Bahamians.
In the upcoming months, the DNA will introduce plans to split the Bahamas into zones where different islands can be able to focus and manage their own affairs.
