Nassau Bahamas - Ongoing infrastructural development at the three state-owned hospitals is expected to further improve the efficiency with which healthcare is delivered in the country, Minister of Health, Dr the Hon Hubert A Minnis confirmed Wednesday.

He said the upgrades include renovations to the Accident and Emergency Department at the Princess Margaret Hospital which, when completed, will improve traffic flow in that area.

Renovations will also result in additional Examination Rooms ?so that the 60 per cent of patients who attend our Emergency Room, who can be seen in the peripheral clinic, can now be seen in additional rooms.?

This, he said, will reduce waiting times in those areas. ?We are also progressing with an additional three theatres so as to decrease the waiting times and resolve that problem,? he said.

?We are continuing, and in some cases have completed, plumbing and electrical repairs, all of which were recommended by the external consultants be it the ILO, PAHO, World Health Organization and Health Canada,? Dr. Minnis added. He was leading off debate on the National Insurance (Chronic Diseases Prescription Drug Fund) Bill, 2009 on September 30.

Dr Minnis said the renovations at the three state-owned hospitals will allow the Government, through the agencies of the Ministry of Health (Department of Public Health, Public Hospitals Authority, Grand Bahama Health Systems) to build a ?health bridge to the future.?

The introduction of the Pharmacy Integrated System will allow persons on the other islands, who are traveling to New Providence, to attend any of the participating pharmacies and receive their medications.

The system will also allow pharmacists at the participating pharmacies to access patients? records. ?This is what you call connectivity,? said Dr Minnis. ?We are truly building a health bridge to the future.?

Healthcare administrators have also introduced a Health Information Technology System that allows persons attending any of the public clinics to have their records reviewed by healthcare professionals there.

This is ?in direct contrast to operations in the past? when patients? records had to be started anew or patients had to travel with their medical records in hand. ?We are now almost 52 per cent completed and we are continuing this health bridge to the future,? the Minister said. Healthcare professionals, he said, have ?introduced and perfected? the art of Tele-Medicine, ?which has and will have a positive impact on the delivery of healthcare in The Bahamas, particularly in the far-flung regions of the country.?

Dr Minnis said hospital officials have moved to improve the communication network between patients, their relatives and healthcare workers.

?They have recommended that we concentrate on improving the services of our institutions and improving the comfort level of both our patients and our visitors and we have done so,? Dr Minnis said.

Dr Minnis said the final stage of the ?health bridge? will be the construction of a new hospital.

By: Matt Maura