Former Progressive Liberal Party Chairman Bradley Roberts has taken Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis and Health Minister Dr. Duane Sands to task over possible interests in Physicians Alliance along with numerous problems plaguing the healthcare sector.
In a statement released yesterday, Mr. Roberts said that there are multiple questions that need to be answered by both the Prime Minister and the Minister of Health who have failed to provide solutions to these problems.
“It is said that the health of a nation is the wealth of the nation.
“With that said, I will cut right to the chase this week and ask some pointed questions to Prime Minister Dr. Minnis and Health Minister Dr. Sands, the two men hired by the Bahamian people to superintend the functionality and continuous improvement of our national health care delivery system.
“Does Duane Sands and Dr. Hubert Minnis have financial interests in Physician Alliance?
“Is the Minister of Health and the Prime Minister in collusion together to protect their personal business interests?
“Are beds available at PMH but allocated to Physician Alliance?
“Why hasn’t Health Minister Dr. Sands and the Prime Minister moved with dispatch to protect the public interest and cause for beds to be made available for these sick patients if in fact beds are available?
“Why was a 90-year-old extremely sick patient (reportedly with pneumonia) sent home to die when beds are available and her life could have been saved,” Mr. Roberts said.
Furthermore, Mr. Roberts added that Dr. Sands sought to white wash an important issue recently by describing the healthcare system as being in crisis and the lack of momentum with NHI.
“I reiterate that the comprehensive National Health Insurance plan, NHI, introduced by the PLP government is the policy prescription for the ills and deficiencies that inflict and plague our health care delivery system.
“Is the Minnis government following through with the plan left in place by the PLP government as advised by global health consultants KPMG? If the FNM government has abandoned this plan, then what is their policy alternative?
“No amount of deflections by attacking the PLP and the health consultants will move this country forward. No amount of PR by Dr. Duane Sands on social media in surgical scrubs will fix the healthcare system.
“So the media gave Dr. Sands positive PR and the government still reported that there are no beds at PMH for public patients. Elective surgeries have been suspended and sick Bahamians are being sent home to die, while the business interests of Physician Alliance are apparently being protected. If this is not so, then both PM Minnis and Health Minister Sands have a public duty to set the record straight,” Mr. Roberts said.
Physicians Alliance is a group of Bahamian Doctors that are entrusted to manage the Private Ward services of the Princess Margaret Hospital hospital. The objective of this partnership is to increase government revenues, reduce expenses and contribute to the overall advancement of the facility.
