NASSAU, Bahamas, October 19, 2020 – Prime Minister the Hon. Dr. Hubert Minnis today toured the 28-bed COVID-19 Treatment and Isolation Unit that has been set up at the Princess Margaret Hospital by the Samaritan’s Purse international relief organization.
The new Unit was expected to start receiving patients later on Monday and is part of the Government’s health strategy to increase patient capacity. Public healthcare staff is working alongside Samaritan’s Purse.
As part of the partnership with the Government, Samaritan’s Purse has provided the Unit and all staffing to operate for a three- to six-week period. Personnel will consist of 30 staff members, including medical professionals required to provide clinical care and operations staff to oversee the initial set-up and supporting logistics.
According to Samaritan’s Purse website, the field hospital “was airlifted to The Bahamas on Oct. 15 aboard our DC-8 cargo jet along with 14 tons of medical supplies and personal protective equipment. The treatment center is set up immediately adjacent to Princess Margaret Hospital, our local medical partner.”
“COVID-19 is a terrible disease, and it claims the lives of hundreds, thousands of people. The Bahamas was crying out for help,” said Elliott Tenpenny, director, Samaritan’s Purse International Health Unit. “We really count it as a privilege to come in at a point in time where a nation has a significant need and be able to care for the citizens.”
The Bahamas is experiencing a second wave of coronavirus cases, and Nassau’s Princess Margaret Hospital is overwhelmed. At the request of the Prime Minister, Samaritan’s Purse is coming alongside them to provide added capacity, medical care, and infection prevention and control training. When the Prime Minister visited the facility today, he remarked that he was very impressed with the operations and thankful for the additional bed space and high-level of care patients would soon receive.
Dr. Caroline Burnett Garroway, who serves as medical chief of staff at Princess Margaret Hospital, said that in her 30 years at the hospital she has never experienced anything like this. As an island nation, they are used to storms—in fact, one ward is currently closed due to recent hurricane damage—but nothing could have prepared them for this health crisis.
“With hurricanes, you know it’s coming—you build back and recover. But with COVID-19, so much is unknown. It’s wearing us down,” Dr. Garroway said.
The 420-bed facility at Princess Margaret Hospital is full. Initially, in March, when the outbreak began, they designated a small ward for coronavirus treatment and isolation. Slowly, they marked more and more spaces for COVID patients, but each ward is now holding double the number of patients initially intended. In addition to a lack of space, many of their healthcare providers have contracted the virus, and, sadly, two nurses and one doctor have died from it.
As our treatment unit received its first patients this afternoon, the Samaritan’s Purse medical team donned their personal protective equipment to provide physical care while also reminding patients that God loves them and has not forgotten them. Many of our doctors and nurses served at the specialized respiratory care units we set up earlier this year in New York City and Italy, so they bring firsthand experience to this crisis.
“The struggle is real so we appreciate any help we can receive. And especially from a Christian group who knows God. We know He is the midst, and He is help and hope, so thank you again,” said Valerie Miller, principal nursing officer.
“Please pray for the Samaritan’s Purse disaster assistance response team as they serve in Jesus’ Name,” the website states. “Pray that as they provide patient care, they will also have the opportunity to share about the eternal hope they have in Jesus Christ.”
(EDITOR’S NOTE: SAMARITAN’S PURSE MISSION STATEMENT: Samaritan’s Purse is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. Since 1970, Samaritan’s Purse has helped meet needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine with the purpose of sharing God’s love through His Son, Jesus Christ. The organization serves the Church worldwide to promote the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.)
