Rand Memorial ER Move Prompts Questions Over Public Notification

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GRAND BAHAMA – A change at the Rand Memorial Hospital’s emergency room is raising concerns among some Grand Bahama residents.

The Accident and Emergency Department has been temporarily relocated as renovation work continues at the hospital.

Some residents say they were caught off guard by the move. However, health officials say the public was notified and that the relocation is necessary to allow the renovation work to continue safely.

A viral voice note circulated widely on WhatsApp Tuesday, telling residents the emergency room at Rand Memorial Hospital had been relocated and urging them to make sure family and friends knew where to go because, in an emergency, every second counts.

But some residents say they were not aware of the change.

The hospital had, however, circulated a notice to staff on Monday advising that the Accident and Emergency Department had been temporarily relocated to the Medical and Surgical 3 building.

The temporary entrance is on the eastern side of the hospital, facing East Mall Drive, near the hospital cafeteria.

Health and Wellness Minister Dr. Michael Darville, who was on Grand Bahama Wednesday, provided more details on the relocation.

Darville says an official press release was also issued to the public Tuesday.

Managing Director of the Public Hospitals Authority, Dr. Aubynette Rolle, says since Hurricane Dorian, the emergency department has not returned to the condition it should be in.

But Central Grand Bahama Member of Parliament Frazette Gibson has been vocal about conditions at Rand Memorial Hospital for months.

She says a change involving the emergency room is something she believes should have been communicated more directly to the public.

Dr. Rolle explains that Rand Memorial is a 24-hour operation and that, with construction and renovation work taking place, some areas have to be temporarily cleared to allow the work to be done safely.

She also shared more details about the new temporary entrance.

Gibson is also raising concerns about the hospital’s morgue, claiming families have had to turn to private funeral homes when dealing with the remains of loved ones.