At the end of each month, GB News will publish a roundup of crime news based on police news releases issued that month throughout the northern islands, including Grand Bahama, Abaco, and Bimini.

Kidnapping and armed robbery

Police are investigating reports of an alleged kidnapping and armed robbery that took place on Thursday, March 23. The male victim, who was able to escape his abductors, told officers he was approached by two men, one armed with a high-powered weapon and the other with a knife while in the Coral Gardens area.

The man said he was forced into his vehicle, a blue Nissan March, and driven to an area near Grand Bahama Highway. He was able to get away from the bandits before they drove off with his vehicle where he left his wallet.

Industrial accident leaves a man dead

Grand Bahama police were called to an industrial accident on March 7 at Executive Marine Management at Freeport Harbour. Police said a 29-year-old man was electrocuted while operating a heavy-duty forklift tractor that touched a power line attached to utility poles.

The victim was identified as Jeremy Culmer of Hepburn Town, Eight Mile Rock, a father of four.

Missing at sea

Bimini police are appealing for information in their search for two men missing at sea. James Toote, 31, and Naz'r Robins, 25, left Freeport for Bimini on March 20 in a blue and white sports power boat, and did not arrive as scheduled.

Drug busts on Bimini

Cocaine, marijuana and cash totaling $16,000 were seized by police during the search of a house on March 15 in Porgy Bay, Bimini. Two men, ages 53 and 41, were arrested.

Later that same day, in an unrelated investigation, police searched another premises in Porgy Bay and recovered an estimated $500 worth of marijuana inside a vehicle and on the person of a 35-year-old man, who was arrested.

On March 22, in another incident, a 43-year-old Porgy Bay man was arrested after police searched a home and located 32 Ziploc bags of cocaine weighing a total of 25 grams.

Eczema is a general term that includes many conditions that cause inflammation of the skin. It is more common in children and infants, where about 10 to 20 percent have some form of eczema. The symptoms of eczema vary, but they generally appear as dry, red, and extremely itchy patches of skin. Small blisters may also form. Eczema can occur on any part of the body, including the foot. It can occur in anyone - children or adults - and is not contagious, meaning, you cannot catch it from or give it to anyone.

There is no known cause for eczema, but it often affects people with a family history of allergies and is very manageable. Dyshidrotic (dis-hi-drah-tic) eczema (DE) is a type of eczema in which the skin cannot protect itself resulting in itchy, dry skin. People with DE can develop small, deep blisters, usually on their hands and feet. The blisters are very itchy and painful and will go away in two or three weeks, leaving the skin red, dry, cracked and scaly. The exact cause of DE is not known, and there is no cure, so people can have episodes that come and go, known as flares. For many people, the DE flares when they are under a lot of stress, temperatures rise (such as in the summer), or if their hands or feet stay wet for long periods. Exposure to metal salts, such as cobalt, chromium, and nickel can also lead to a flare. DE flares can be mild or severe. A severe flare on the feet can make walking very difficult and painful.

Symptoms of dyshidrotic eczema

Fluid-filled blisters form on your fingers, toes, hands, or feet, especially on the edges. They can be painful, very itchy and may come together to form into larger blisters. The blisters may last up to three weeks before they begin to dry. As they dry up, they'll turn into cracks in the skin and become dry, scaly and painful. If you scratch the area, it may become thicker or feel spongy.

Diagnosis

In many cases, your doctor will be able to diagnose dyshidrotic eczema from the symptoms and by examining your skin. They may choose to run more tests, like a skin biopsy, or a test to look for a fungal infection or allergies.

Treatment

The treatment is based on the severity of the flare and the symptoms. To avoid making your pain and itching worse, do not scratch or break your blisters.

Although it's important to wash your hands regularly, you may want to avoid extensive contact with water, such as frequent foot-washing or bathing. You should also avoid using products that can irritate your skin, such as perfumed lotions and harsh soaps that dry the skin.

Medications that may be helpful 

Corticosteroid cream or ointment that is applied directly to the skin for mild outbreaks or, for more severe outbreaks, you may be prescribed a corticosteroid injection or pill which will help to reduce inflammation and clear the blisters.

Other medical treatments that can be used are UV light treatments, draining large blisters, antihistamines, various anti-itch creams, or immune-suppressing ointments. The DE site may get infected by bacteria or fungus and will need to be treated with an antibiotic or antifungal medication based on the type of infection present. These are important to reduce scratching because scratching will make DE worse.

Things you can do at home to help with DE flares

Wet, cold compresses or short soaks can help reduce the discomfort from dry, itchy skin. Soaks or cool compresses can be done or applied two to four times a day. You apply these for 15 minutes at a time and apply a medicated cream or ointment, such as a corticosteroid afterward.

A moisturizer may also help with the dryness and therefore also reduce some itching. Using moisturizers such as petroleum jelly, Vaseline, heavy creams such as Lubriderm or Eucerin, mineral oil or soaking with witch hazel may also be helpful for a short time.

Diet

Changing your diet can also help to delay and treat flare-ups. Since it is believed that a nickel or cobalt allergy can cause eczema, removing foods that contain these may help. Eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables and low in processed junk food is recommended. Supplementing with vitamin A has also helped. But check with your doctor before starting this.

What can be expected in the long term

Most times, DE will usually disappear in a few weeks without any complications, especially if you don't scratch the skin. It may not leave any noticeable marks or scars. If you do scratch the area, you may experience more discomfort, some scarring or your flare may take longer to heal.

Although your DE outbreak may heal completely, it can also recur. Because the cause of DE isn't known, doctors have yet to find effective ways to prevent or cure the condition. The best advice is to protect and help strengthen your skin by applying moisturizers daily, avoiding triggers such as perfumed soaps or harsh cleansers, and staying cool and hydrated.

  
• For more information visit www.apma.org or email foothealth242@gmail.com. To see a podiatrist visit Bahamas Surgical Associates Centre at Hilltop Medical Centre, Centreville or call 603-1814/15/16 for an appointment. In Grand Bahama, visit Lucayan Medical Center call 373-7400 for an appointment.

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The Philippines wants to enter into a labor agreement with The Bahamas to ensure the well-being and protection of Filipino workers in this country, according to an article posted to The Manila Times' website.

According to the article, about 2,000 Filipinos work in The Bahamas, in areas such as healthcare, household services, hospitality, accounting, education and ship repair.

The article explains that Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez recently met with Prime Minister Philip Davis in Nassau "to discuss issues of mutual concern such as climate change and disaster mitigation".

The article further states that Romualdez revealed in a statement that he and Davis discussed a possible memorandum of understanding (MoU) that would add a layer of protection for Filipino workers.

"They also tackled safety and security in international shipping, protection of the marine environment, as well as enhanced trade and investment between the Philippines and The Bahamas," the article said.

"Romualdez had proposed the drafting of a government-to-government MoU 'to institutionalize the recruitment of Filipino workers through a bilateral labor cooperation framework."

According to the article, the prime minister and ambassador were also concerned about mitigating illegal recruitment, which is considered a trafficking in persons crime in The Bahamas".

"During their bilateral meeting, both officials expressed interest to explore ways to further strengthen bilateral labor cooperation," the article said.

The article also explains that in 2021, trade between the Philippines and The Bahamas reached $443,479, with exports to The Bahamas amounting to $441,859 and exports to the Philippines at $1,620.

The Manila Times said the meeting between Davis and Romualdez was held after the ambassador presented his credentials to Governor General Cornelius Smith.

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The government yesterday signed a $40 million industrial agreement with the Bahamas Public Services Union (BPSU) that will pave the way for multiple salary increases at various pay scales.

The agreement will result in many public servants receiving four or five incremental payments per year in addition to their usual increments.

Among the increases was a raise for police and defense force officers and prison recruits. Their salaries have gone from $18,000 per year to $20,000 per year.

In addition, disturbance allowance has been increased from $1,200 to $1,500, and transport allowance has risen from $250 per month to $300 per month.

Minister of State for the Public Service Pia Glover-Rolle said the final agreement was the product of a protracted negotiation period in which both the government and union leadership worked for the best outcome.

"We took our time to ensure that public servants at every level would benefit from the salary increases," Glover-Rolle said.

"We also ensured that essential allowances were increased and those public servants sacrificing by working late shifts are recognized and compensated for their work."

Glover-Rolle said the BPSU agreement was the latest of 16 industrial agreements the Davis administration negotiated since coming into office.

"We signed a memorandum of understanding with local unions when we were in opposition that we fully intended to honor," Glover-Rolle declared.

"From day one, we have committed to improved relationships with local unions, working hand in hand with union leaders to negotiate the best compensation and benefits packages possible for our valued public servants.

"The 16 industrial agreements we have signed since September 2021 are a testament to our dedication to improved labor relations."

While he expressed gratitude for the agreement, BPSU President Kimsley Ferguson said there are still outstanding issues.

"There were some issues and concerns that we did have where we indicated that there were persons who qualified for hazard allowance based on our standards - security officers as well as persons at the meteorological office. Again, we are still awaiting a response in that regard.

"We know that we ... conveyed that to the negotiations team. But at this point, we weren't able to get a response on that particular issue.

"We were seeking either to get some insurance coverage or the hazard allowance for those individuals, particularly those security officers in the schools who are confronted with some degree of challenges when it comes to ensuring that the nation's youth are able to get a proper education in a safe and healthy environment."

Ferguson also advocated for an improved uniform allowance for law enforcement.

"While there was an increase in the uniform allowance, we specifically pointed out to the negotiation team the challenges [faced by] persons like police officers and defense force officers and prison officers, whose uniforms are extremely unique and requires consistent cleaning," Ferguson said.

"Based on the increase in the cost of living, we find that the increase could have been looked at for those individuals in a special way, and so that item was forwarded to the negotiations team. I'm advised that consideration may be given to it."

Ferguson said despite the areas of the agreement that could be improved on, he is satisfied with the deal.

"The initial concern was that we were agitating for persons at the lower end of the scales," he said.

"Based on the values of increments, some persons received four increments, some received five.

"We were agitating for six for those persons at the lower end. We are happy that we are able to achieve those five, and as the minister so indicated, this is not the end of it all, and so we get an opportunity to go back to the table come 2025/2026 and we seek to improve on what was given.

"We are hopeful that persons would use their funding wisely, so that they are able to combat the rising cost of living."

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