Minister of Health and Wellness Dr. Michael Darville acknowledged that doctors and nurses in the Accident and Emergency department (A&E) at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) are working in cramped conditions as renovations at the hospital continue.

"I'm sure the media is aware that a large portion of A&E is under active renovation", Darville told reporters yesterday.

"As a result of it, the nurses [and] doctors are working in cramped locations.

"It has definitely impacted the smooth flow of the operations of A&E. To compound that, there was a problem with the chiller system, which happens sometimes in the middle of summer.

"Since then, we have resolved some of those issues and the renovations of A&E is moving very rapidly and, hopefully, we are on schedule for that part of the renovations to be handed over to the Public Hospitals Authority for operation somewhere in October."

Darville said A&E is going through a second phase of renovations.

"There is another phase by the way, because as we move patients from the portion that is not renovated to the portion that is renovated, then we have the capability to go to the portions so that we can continue the renovation process at A&E," he said.

"I'm very confident that at the end of the day, the product that would be delivered and handed over to the PHA will definitely improve the quality of services and ensure that our physicians and healthcare workers operate in a more productive environment.

"The full change with the new designs will create patients easy accessibility, triaging, and all of the necessary components to have a well-oiled functioning A&E.

"I'm excited about where we're headed and the end product that would be delivered to the Bahamian people."

Darville noted that pressure on services at A&E subsided after PHA officials urged members of the public to only come to A&E if they had emergencies.

"I can say yesterday, we had the opportunity to tour A&E and a lot of pressures that were there some weeks before it's now been relieved," he said.

"A&E goes through waves, sometimes it's quiet, sometimes it's bursting from the seams."

He added, "We encourage Bahamians everywhere that if there is a situation that you believe is brewing, our clinics are open usually from nine and some of our clinics up to nine at night.

"Utilize those facilities because we are renovating the Accident and Emergency room and we ask the Bahamian people to just bear with us because by October, that asset will be in our remit and be in our control, which means that we will be able to have better spaces, more leg room, more ability to handle cases.

"We are looking forward for that new portion of A&E to come on stream for our doctors as well as our clients."

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Philip Davis said PMH was in "crisis" and pledged that his administration will do all it can to fix it.

After touring the facility, Davis said it was heart wrenching to see the state of the facility.

Officials have also said they have seen increases in diabetic cases, hypertensive emergencies, heart attacks, strokes and pneumonia in elderly people.

Works were previously being completed on a set of modular units on the grounds of the hospital, the basement of the Eye Ward, Male Medical II, Female Surgical I as well as A&E.

Renovations are also occurring at Rand Memorial Hospital on Grand Bahama and at clinics throughout the country.

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