Despite revelations from that scandalous Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) audit report that unveiled, among other things, that doctors and nurses had for years improperly distributed drugs to patients and that some drugs were allowed to sit and expire on the shelves, Free National Movement (FNM) Deputy Chairman and cardiologist Dr. Duane Sands said while it is easy to throw medical personnel under the bus in this issue, they are not the ones to blame.

Dr. Sands told members of the media Wednesday that the real fault lies with the country’s antiquated and outdated healthcare system as public healthcare nurses and doctors work in environments where they have neither the tools nor support to meet the standards prescribed of healthcare in 2014.

“There is no way that I am going to put this blame on the nurses, in particular, or the physicians,” he said. “Are there challenges with our human resources components in the hospital? Absolutely. But it is a far greater challenge with the system and the model that we use.

“I have gone on record as saying that we need to completely tear down this system that we use and build it from the ground up. We can’t tweak it, we can’t putty it and we can’t paint it. It is broken.”

The 92-page forensic audit that was leaked in the media last week exposed mass inefficiencies and abuses within the PHA.

It noted in part that “The authority is plagued with constant inventory differences, drug and material shortages, and the presence of expired drugs on the shelves at various cost centres,” it read.

The damning report also cited a critical need for additional training and direction at the distribution level.

Still Dr. Sands insisted that healthcare professionals on a daily basis, pretty much perform miracles when considering what they face every day on their jobs.

“When you see nurses in particular who are trying to be creative in their approach to providing care to your mother, your grandmother, your uncle, your son, please understand that they are facing real challenges with drugs, with equipment, with staff and with than environment that is not consist with anything that real professionals ought to be working with,” he added.

PHA Chairman Senator Frank Smith announced last Wednesday that recent audits at the PHA were commissioned by the current Board for several key areas.

Senator Smith added, “These reports are being reviewed by the Board.” The PHA chairman went on to say that “any and all matters raised are being fully investigated.”

The PHA Chairman went on to say that any other public comments on these reports would be premature.