By OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C. – It is an absolute disgrace that Prime Minister Dr. Hubert A. Minnis and his inept and bungling Minister of Health Renward Wells decided to sow seeds of dissention among the health care workers in The Bahamas as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc in the country.
Make no mistake about it, by paying some healthcare workers honorariums rather than collectively monetarily thanking all of them for their devoted service during the current COVID-19 pandemic was unquestionably a terrible decision and clearly was the reason why roughly 150 allied healthcare workers called in sick at health facilities on New Providence and Grand Bahama on Thursday, August 12, which was confirmed by The Nassau Guardian.
Even more disgraceful is the fact that The Guardian confirmed that Minister Wells’ driver and personal assistant also received honorariums.
According to The Guardian, “On Tuesday (August 10), Wells said that honorariums were paid to some healthcare workers who worked during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The Guardian added: “In a statement, the ministry said the honorarium is a promise the government made during the 2021/2022 budget debate intended for a subset of frontline healthcare workers who were the early heroes in the COVID-19 fight.
“These workers willingly responded to the call, offering their name and talent to initiate the COVID-19 response when the majority of healthcare workers were hesitant and declined to serve.
“These frontline workers, some working in clinical and non-clinical settings, served during the period 19th March – 18th June.
“The Ministry of Health would like to advise that the minister of health did not receive any of the funds allocated for the honorarium put aside for frontline and non-frontline workers. Social media reports also purport that the minister of health’s driver and personal assistant received $5,000 each for their contributions to the COVID-19 response.
“The Ministry of Health categorically denies this assertion as these employees were disbursed the same minimum honorarium payment issued to non-frontline workers who consisted of doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians, administrative, clerical, transport, security, custodial and other support staff who joined later in the response.
“The amount awarded to these persons was $1,158.40.”
So is Minister Wells admitting that his driver and personal assistant received $1,158.40 rather than $5,000?
For what reason did they receive even that amount? For driving Mr. Wells around and being at his beck and call whenever he wanted something done?
Meanwhile, although he said he was not aware of the sickout, Bahamas Public Service Union (BPSU) President Kimsley Ferguson said certain employees who worked during the COVID-19 pandemic were “up in arms” after they were denied honorariums while others received the recent payments, according to The Guardian.
“The Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) said the sick-out, which started at 8 a.m., impacted Princess Margaret Hospital’s (PMH) laboratory, radiology and diagnostics services,” The Guardian noted, adding: “The morgue, which is already suffering from overcrowding of uncollected bodies, suspended services until further notice.”
At Rand Memorial Hospital in Grand Bahama, laboratory and phlebotomy services were severely impacted, the authority said.
Further commenting on the drastic nature of the situation, The Guardian reported: “Staff shortages also impacted pharmacy services at Eight Mile Rock, Hawksbill, Freeport Community Clinic, and Pearce Plaza, the PHA said.
“Officials said members of the public can expect delays accessing services at these institutions and urged them where possible to access the services at a later date.”
Then there was this dire declaration: “Hospital capacity in the country is at its limit as COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospitalizations continue to rise. Bed capacity at PMH for COVID-19 patients was 57, according to Minister of Health Renward Wells. He said Rand Memorial is equipped to accommodate 23 COVID patients.”
However, Grand Bahama Health Services (GBHS) Administrator Sharon Williams pleaded with staff to return to work.
Meanwhile, BPSU President Kimsley Ferguson said his members are “very concerned” about the recent honorariums that were paid to some health workers.
“We had written the minister of health in reference to the honorarium to ensure that the persons who were participants in the COVID-19 response team would receive the honorarium,” Ferguson said. “We never got the meeting with the minister. In a communication, he said the persons who should receive the honorarium will receive it. Hence we are finding out now there are different categories in the healthcare system who have not received the honorarium.”
Ferguson said staff in the laundry department, housekeeping, laboratory and radiology services are among those who should have been given consideration.
Obviously, Minister Wells decided—or Prime Minister Minnis and his entire Cabinet decided – that these healthcare workers were not deserving of receiving consideration.
If this was indeed a Cabinet decision, I find it hard to believe that a group of men – most of whom are educationally qualified to be certified as intelligent – would sit around a table and reach such an unfair decision.
Be that as it may, as I noted in a previous article published in BAHAMAS CHRONICLE, the country would not now be like a dinghy adrift in a storm during the current healthcare crisis if at the height of the COVID-19 outbreak in The Bahamas, Prime Minister Minnis did not nonsensically decide to pick a “political fight” with Minister of Health Dr. Duane Sands, whose medical credentials are impeccable and who was unquestionably one of the most effective Ministers in his cabinet.
To be sure, if Prime Minister Minnis were not so stubborn and politically naïve, he would have quickly recognized his mistake once the COVID-19 pandemic became a serious problem in The Bahamas and apologize to Dr. Sands and beg him to rejoin his cabinet as Minister of Health.
Instead, he chose to gamble with the healthcare of hundreds of thousands of Bahamians by appointing Renward Wells as Minister of Health, notwithstanding the fact that historically Mr. Well’s nomadic political resume is more reflective of a political wheeler and dealer, with no medical experience and, indeed, no ‘executive management’ experience on the scale of what is required at the Ministry of Health.
Mr. Wells has once again proven that he is not qualified to be Minister of Health, especially during this critical time when the lives of thousands of Bahamians are at risk as a result of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.
