Copyright thenassauguardian
A veteran public sector nurse has focused the spotlight on what many Bahamians seeking healthcare at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) have long complained about: The deplorable state of the facility and challenged resources. Nurse Pearl Williams, who has been in the profession for 44 years – 15 months at Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre and the remainder of that time at PMH – recently recorded a video in which she very respectfully appealed to Prime Minister Philip Davis to address concerns relating to the state of the hospital. “Mr. Prime Minister, out of the goodness of your heart, please listen to the many concerns we have at the Princess Margaret Hospital,” said Williams in the video that went viral. “The roofs are leaking, Mr. Prime Minister; lack of supplies; lack of human resources; not to mention the rodent problem that we have. When will the Accident and Emergency Department be opened, Mr. Prime Minister, so that we can treat our patients with dignity and privacy? “Out of the goodness of your heart, please listen to the cries and help. Bring about change, much needed change in the Princess Margaret Hospital.” Williams’ plea felt genuine, and no doubt came out of a place of frustration. But she has been punished for speaking out; she has been placed on suspension for two weeks. In a statement confirming her suspension yesterday, PHA said she has been suspended pending the outcome of an internal investigation, following the circulation of the video on social media. “This matter is being addressed in accordance with the authority’s social media policy, which outlines strict standards for professionalism, confidentiality, and responsible online conduct,” the PHA said. “Breaches of these standards are taken seriously to protect the dignity of patients, staff, and the public.” Far from negatively impacting the dignity of patients, staff and the public, Nurse Williams’ video was a clear effort to protect it. There is nothing about the video that suggests malice, defamation or breach of any patient confidentiality. She violated no data protection law. She did not post any videos showing the state of PMH. Many in the public were left feeling that Williams was being punished for causing embarrassment to superiors and powers that be. We have all heard the horror stories at PMH. The veteran nurse raised an important question about the lack of progress on the Accident and Emergency Department. Renovations on that critical department began in 2019 and incredibly have yet to be completed. It is also disgraceful that 15 months after it went out of commission, the kitchen at PMH is still inoperable and food has to be transported to the facility from elsewhere. What would have happened had we had a major hurricane come our way? Would patients have to eat cold canned food? It is disturbing, but not surprising, to hear of a lack of supplies at PMH, so staff can provide quality care to patients. And what of the reported rodent problem? Will officials be embarrassed into addressing it? Former Minister of Health Dr. Duane Sands, who has worked with Williams, described her as “a critical care expert speaking truth”. “She ain’t breathe a word of lie,” Sands said, adding that action was taken to silence a truth teller. While PHA defended the suspension, bizarrely, Minister of Health Dr. Michael Darville distanced himself from it. He said, “While I have not yet been fully briefed on all the details, I wish to state clearly that I do not agree with the decision to suspend the nurse at this stage.” The minister said he respects the independence of the PHA and the protocols that guide its internal investigations, but he noted nurses continue to serve under pressure and appealed for fairness and compassion. We agree with the minister on this point. Authorities should also be mindful of a critical provision of the Freedom of Information Act, brought into force under the Minnis administration; it protects individuals who expose information “which would disclose a serious threat to health, safety and the environment”, as long at the person acted “in good faith and in the reasonable belief that the information was substantially true”. Unless we are missing a part of the video or some other critical matter connected to this suspension, Williams should be hailed for her courage and celebrated as a whistleblower, not subjected to suspension.
