The Government of The Bahamas has entered into a partnership with Samaritan’s Purse to provide a twenty-eight (28) bed COVID-19 Isolation and Treatment Unit as part of the Ministry of Health’s strategy to increase patient capacity.

The tented inpatient facility will be located adjacent to the Princess Margaret Hospital. It will also serve as a COVID-19 referral centre for The Bahamas. This Unit will not include ICU treatment, but only step-down care. No ventilators will be provided or operated by Samaritan’s Purse.

“This Unit is being set up as a proactive and precautionary measure,” said Minister of Health the Hon. Renward Wells. “The entire world, including The Bahamas, is experiencing the second wave of COVID-19. The Bahamas and countries in the Northern Hemisphere are in flu season and approaching winter.

“It is critical that The Bahamas has additional healthcare capacity as the global pandemic continues, with more waves of the virus likely, which is why we continue to augment healthcare capacity here at home.”

As part of the partnership, Samaritan’s Purse will provide the Unit and all staffing to operate for a three to six-week period. Personnel will consist of thirty (30) staff members, including medical professionals required to provide clinical care and operations staff to oversee the initial set-up and supporting logistics.

Samaritan’s Purse will also provide Infection Prevention Control (IPC) training to protect Bahamian healthcare workers from COVID-19 infection.

Public Health staff will work alongside Samaritan’s Purse. The treatment unit will be donated to the Government of The Bahamas upon Samaritan’s Purse’s departure.

The set-up of the Unit is expected to begin by the end of the week.

Samaritan’s Purse is an international, non-denominational, evangelical, Christian disaster relief organisation. The organisation has been providing considerable support on Abaco, the Abaco Cays and Grand Bahama since September 2019 in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian.