News

Bahamas Expands Telemedicine Initiative

By: Caribbean Journal Staff - July 15, 2011

Above: Minister of Health, Dr Hubert Minnis, Dr Akos Tatar of the Fresh Creek District, Dr Colin Bullard, Director of Emergency Services at Princess Margaret Hospital and South Andros MP Picewell Forbes (BIS Photo: Patrick Hanna)

As part of an initiative to help bring medical services to the Bahamas’ many islands, the community of Fresh Creek in Andros became the second of the Bahamas’ “family islands” to receive so-called telemedicine capability following the launch of a dermatology clinic.

The opening of the clinic came five months after Bahamian officials performed an inspection at the Fresh Creek Community Clinic. Marsh Harbour in Abaco was the first Family Island to receive telemedicine.

According to Health Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, the expansion is part of “determined efforts to bridge the islands of the Bahamas” medically.

The programme allows specialist physicians of the Accident and Emergency Department of the Princess Margaret Hospital to assess, examine and treat patients in “real time.”

It also reduces travel for patients, and thus cuts costs, Minnis said.

“Prior to today, those individuals, if they wanted to see the specialists, would have had to fly to Nassau, book accommodation and try to organise and appointment,” Minnis said. “But that will now be a thing of the past, because they can remain here in Fresh Creek and be assessed by specialist physicians in New Providence.”

Minnis said he saw no reason why the programme could not be expanded to other Caribbean countries and additional Bahamian islands.

“That would afford us the opportunity to make the Bahamas the health magnet of the Caribbean,” he said.

–Bahamas Information Service

Popular Posts

A.R. Carnegie, 74, Caribbean Legal Legend

A Caribbean Journal Editorial He was never a judge, never a Queen’s Counsel. His robes were never silk. But A. Ralph Carnegie was a Caribbean John Marshall if there ever was one. Ralph Carnegie, A.R. in scholarly texts, passed away […]


Robinson: Manatt Approached Government

Lackston Robinson, Jamaica’s Deputy Solicitor General, testified that it was the law firm Manatt, Phelps and Phillips, and not the Jamaican Government/Jamaica Labour Party, that made the first move to solicit a contract to lobby the White House, he told […]


IMF Back in Antigua on Performance Review

The International Monetary Fund has sent a team to Antigua for a third review of the nation’s performance on a stand-by arrangement with the IMF. According to the Ministry of Finance, the IMF team began the review Monday and will […]


Related Posts sandals curacao

The Tourism Renaissance Continues in Curacao 

It largely began in the summer of 2022, when Sandals Resorts International opened its first-ever Dutch Caribbean resort in Curacao, and everything seemed to change.  Almost immediately, the “Sandals Effect” led to record-breaking tourism numbers on the island, particularly from […]


Caribbean Moment: Finding Perfection on Eagle Beach in Aruba

aruba eagle

It’s not just one of the best beaches in the Caribbean. It’s one of the best beaches in the world. This is the stunning, magnificent stretch of sand called Eagle Beach in Aruba, and when you get here you realize […]


Antigua and Barbuda’s Big US Tourism Push

curtain bluff antigua

Antigua and Barbuda has kicked off a major push to increase tourism to the destination from the United States market.  The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority has embarked on a promotional tour to engage with travel professionals in more than […]


SUBSCRIBE!

Sign up for Caribbean Journal's free newsletter for a daily dose of beaches, hotels, rum and the best Caribbean travel information on the net.


No. Thank You