The sick and injured are waiting in endless lines in the hot sun today seeking medical attention at the available public clinics.
Under emergency orders, private clinics are closed to patients, with the exception of emergency cases, during the two-week lockdown, which could be extended next week.
This has resulted in long lines at public clinics while private clinics, which could ease the pressure off of public healthcare facilities, are closed.
“People are crowding public clinics while the private clinics are available. It’s ridiculous,” said one angry Bahamian.
“Patients are having to go to the public clinics when they can afford a private one, either self-pay or with insurance, but they end up using crowded public facilities because the private ones that can take care of their common primary healthcare needs, are only allowed to see urgent cases.”
The same applies for specialists’ offices.
Interestingly, there are occasions when patients require certain ancillary services like an ultrasound, which are often not available in the public clinic.
They have to leave the public clinic, go to a private one to get the ultrasound scan done, and turn around and take the results back to the crowded public clinic to have the doctor there review the results.
“It’s so stupid,” said one angry patient.
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