Bahamas News
Prime Minister Davis breaks ground for premier medical facility in Grand Bahama
By LEDEDRA MARCHE, BIS
#TheBahamas, May 19, 2023 – Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Hon. Philip Davis led a delegation to Grand Bahama for the historic groundbreaking and contract signing ceremony for the $210 million Freeport Health Campus on Tuesday, May 16, 2023.
The premier hospital will sit on 50 acres of land and will offer primary, tertiary and acute care for residents of Grand
Bahama and the northern Bahamas.
The project, which is being funded by the World Bank, is set on the Greenfield site, and will be carried out in three phases, with Phase 1 set to be completed by the end of 2024.
In delivering the keynote address, Prime Minister Davis said the occasion is an extraordinary one for residents of Grand Bahama and the city of Freeport. It will initiate the construction of an outpatient and urgent-care facility that will cater to the needs of Grand Bahamians and residents in the Northern Bahamas for generations to come.
He said it is particularly noteworthy that this endeavour begins during a year when Bahamians nationwide, and around the globe, commemorate the golden anniversary of our national independence.
“This significant juncture in our nation’s history offers an opportunity for introspection on a remarkable progress we have achieved in terms of our development, culture and economy,” he said.
Prime Minister Davis revealed that the realization of a new hospital for Grand Bahama is more than 15 years in the making,
“At this new health-care centre, wounds will be healed, medical research will be advanced, lives will be rebuilt and the Grand Bahama Health Services will be positioned to provide the highest standard of care now and into the future as a long-awaited vision is now at last becoming a reality,” he said.
Minister of Health and Wellness, the Hon. Dr. Michael Darville, who has practiced medicine in the nation’s second city many years, pointed out that it has been a long journey for him and many residents in Grand Bahama.
“We all know the challenges we that we currently face with the Rand Memorial Hospital and the services provided here. From government to government, we’ve been tagging along, trying to do our best and the time has finally come after years of hard work,” he said.
Dr. Darville noted that there have been many before him who worked diligently on the plan to bring us to the special occasion.
“The first phase of our project will be the establishment of a close to 60,000-square-foot facility that will be usable as Phase 1B of the project is initiated and the final phase initiated simultaneously,” he said.
He further revealed that the new state-of-the art facility will have an oncology centre, which is crucial for the people of Grand Bahama who have had to go off island for years to undergo chemo therapy treatment.
Speaking to the government’s commitment to establishing and transforming healthcare delivery services throughout The Bahamas, Minister Darville also announced that the final drawings for the construction of nine new clinics have been completed and renovations on 41 clinics are also underway.
Minister for Grand Bahama, the Hon. Ginger Moxey congratulated Dr. Darville who has been relentless in pushing for the project for at least a decade, and thanked Prime Minister Davis for his commitment to the healthcare needs of the people of Grand Bahama.
“Today we begin the first phase of building a new hospital on our island to support the growing demand for accessible, quality healthcare services to address the needs of residents and visitors alike,” she said.
PHOTO CAPTIONS
Header – Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Hon. Philip Davis led the charge during the groundbreaking ceremony for the newest healthcare facility, the Freeport Health Campus, on Grand Bahama on Tuesday, May 16, 2023.
Insert – Grand Bahama residents, Cabinet minister, healthcare professionals and Grand Bahama residents attended the historic ceremony for the groundbreaking of a new healthcare facility on the island of Grand Bahama on Tuesday, May 16, 2023.
(BIS Photos/Andrew Miller & Jamika Culmer)
Rashaed Esson
Staff Writer
#TheBahamas, August 5, 2023 – An American woman has been arrested in The Bahamas, accused of conspiring with two men, one of them alleged to be her lover, to murder her estranged husband.
The woman, 36 year old Lindsay Shiver and the two men, 28-year-old Terrance Bethel, the alleged lover and 29 year old Faron Newbold, were taken into custody last week following police investigation of a reported burglary at
Grabbers Bar and Grill restaurant on Great Guana Cay.
The police looked into their cell phones and found WhatsApp messages detailing the assassination plot to kill her husband.
The couple, who built a life in South Georgia have three children and are home owners on the island in the Abacos.
News outlets throughout the US have reported on the scandalous story, including that a nasty court battle over the couple’s reported, $5 Million dollar fortune and three children was underway. Shiver, an entrepreneur is a former beauty Alabama queen, her husband a former football player was an insurance executive.
According to US media, the husband, Robert, recently filed for divorce from Shivers after a decade of marriage upon discovering she had an alleged extra-martial affair with Bethel whom she met in The Bahamas.
While the husband claims infidelity on the part of his wife, the wife claims he was abusive.
The suspects Shiver, Bethel and Newbold appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Roberto Reckley on Friday July 28th. Their next court date is set for October 5th.
Rashaed Esson
Staff Writer
#TheBahamas, August 5, 2023 – The Bahamas is now facing an unfortunate reality as sexual assault has become and is a growing issue since 2023. Women and girls are said to be living in fear for their safety from these perpetrators.
The Royal Bahamas Police force has reported on instances of assault in press releases found on their Facebook page.
One report spoke of a 50 year old they were searching for after he burglarized a home and sexually assaulted an elderly woman, 82 years old. She was reported to be asleep when he woke and assaulted her.
This took place on Tuesday July 11th, 2023 at the home in the Centreville area of Nassau.
There is another incident that took place on July 17th, 2023 which the police are seeking in catching the suspect as they investigate. It involves a man believed to the perpetrator in for an armed robbery and sexual assault.
According to preliminary data, he approached the victim, a female, with a firearm, robbed her and sexually assaulted
her. He proceeded to enter the house and robbed a male and escaped. This happened in the Cowpen Road area; also in Nassau.
The assaults continue to grow in number as the police reported that they were investigating two other incidents that took place on July 24th.
The first had to do with a female, 30 years old who reported she was driving on West on Marshall Road when two men approached her after she slowed down near Faith Avenue. One of the males with a firearm, forced her from her vehicle and took her to nearby bushes where they sexually assaulted her after which they escaped.
The second incident involved à 32 year old woman who was sexually assaulted by a male known to her. It is reported that she was walking in the Fleming Street area when she accepted transportation from the suspect, who drove her to a dirt road off Gladstone Road where he presented a firearm and proceeded to rape her.
Furthermore, another assault, this time involving a 9 year old girl, was reported. As revealed by preliminary information, the victim was playing with friends outside where she lives on Saturday July 29th, 2023 when the suspect, a 42 year old male of Summerset Estate, driving a white Nissan Skyline, arrived and gestured to her to enter the car.
She entered the car after which he took her to an unknown location, threatened her and sexually assaulted her. She was later found somewhere in Spikenard Road; this also happened in Nassau.
Fortunately, he was caught and arrested for abduction and sexual assault on Sunday July 30th by officers affiliated with the Drug Enforcement Unit.
There are other reports of sexual assault throughout The Bahamas as well as rape and attempted rape during the earlier parts of the year, dating back to as early as February.
CAPTION: Women Leaders, including Ann Marie Davis, wife of the Prime Minister filled the gallery of The Bahamas Senate this week as members of the upper chamber debated the Protection Against Violence Bill 2023. The debate came just as the country experiences a spike in sexual assaults against women and girls. Photo by Patrick Hanna, BIS.
#TurksandCaicos, August 5, 2023 – On August 3rd, 2023, Premier Misick met with the Leader of the
Opposition of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, the Honorable Michael Pintard. The discussion was highly productive, and they delved into matters of mutual concern between their neighboring nations. Hon. Pintard was accompanied by other opposition members, including Senator the Honorable Darren Handfield and Mr. Joshua Sears.
Group photo caption:
From Left to Right: Mr. Joshua Sears, Senator Hon. Darren Hendfield, Premier Hon. Charles Washington Misick, Bahamas Leader of the Bahamas Hon. Michael Pintard and Deputy Premier Hon. Erwin J. Saunders.
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