Minister pledges to boost sister islands healthcare

Nearly two months after a death on Virgin Gorda sparked a public outcry about healthcare shortcomings on the sister islands, Health and Social Development Minister Vincent Wheatley stood in the House of Assembly and listed actions taken in response to residents’ concerns.

“Recent events have brought to attention the unique challenges of healthcare delivery on our sister islands and in particular Virgin Gorda,” Mr. Wheatley told the HOA on Oct. 18. “We have heard [the community’s] concerns, and I want to reassure them that their concerns are being given priority.”

In early September, the Virgin Gorda community rallied over the death of Revovion “Bucky” Sprauve, who died after arriving at the Nurse Iris O’Neal Medical Centre on Aug. 30 only to find it closed.

Following a Sept. 6 community meeting with health officials, an “ad hoc committee” of residents formed to bring more accountability to the healthcare sector across the sister islands.

Though the committee has not named its leaders or other members, an Oct. 17 press release circulated on its behalf by Vigin Gorda resident Sharon Flax-Brutus stated that it had presented a petition with more than 800 signatures to Governor Daniel Pruce.

“The community has expressed its hope that the governor will be able to have swift and meaningful dialogue with the government of the Virgin Islands on several key items raised in the petition, which aim to enhance the overall standard of health care and better serve the needs of the people,” the press release stated.

It added that members had met with the governor and discussed ideas for the way forward, including “funding and allocations for sister island healthcare in the 2025 budget; the possibility of [United Kingdom] grants as well as visiting medical staff from the UK; availability of medical supplies; [the Nurse Iris O’Neal Medical Centre] and challenges with incomplete building as well as leaking roof and aging generator; the status of North Sound Clinic, and medivac options.”

Reforms

The day after the press release circulated, Mr. Wheatley told the HOA about several reforms that he said are in the works to address residents’ concerns.

The BVI Health Services Authority, for example, has made changes to “scheduling and workflow” to ensure a nurse is on site at the Nurse Iris O’Neal Medical Centre 24 hours a day, seven days a week, according to the minister.

“This will ensure that a health care provider is always available and ready to start any emergency treatment that may be required,” he said.
Physicians, the minister said, will be on site seven days a week from 8:30 a.m. until midnight.

Additionally, Mr. Wheatley claimed residents can expect a 15-minute “turnaround time” for emergency calls after midnight, despite there being only one paramedic on the island.

The single paramedic, he explained, is supported by an “advanced emergency technician” as well as police officers.

VG clinic

To bolster staffing, the centre is also hiring for radiology, ultrasound, social services and laboratory positions, Mr. Wheatley said.

He added that repairs to the clinic’s second floor — which has not been operational since the facility opened in February 2020 — were approved in the HOA’s most recent supplementary appropriations and are expected to get under way in the “coming weeks.”

In the meantime, the clinic continues to operate during regularly scheduled business hours from 8:30 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. daily, according to the minister.

“The repairs to the standby generator are complete, and the air-conditioning units are currently awaiting parts that are on order from the original equipment manufacturer, LG Industries,” Mr. Wheatley said.

911 system

Other ongoing reforms aim to better integrate emergency response teams across the 911 call system, according to Mr. Wheatley.

“The Ministry of Health and Social Development is working to ensure adequate integration of the 911 system into the rapid response for emergencies on the sister islands,” he said. “Once actualised, this will greatly reduce and streamline the emergency response times. “

To help “streamline emergency evacuations,” he added, the BVI Health Services Authority has recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Virgin Islands Search and Rescue following the non-profit organisation’s acquisition of a new rapid-response vessel.

Back to life

In the Oct. 18 update, the health minister also explained a new partnership between the BVIHSA and the UK-based “life support training” company Back to Life Limited. Describing a more “cost-effective” approach, Mr. Wheatley said the training, which is based on Resuscitation Council UK standards, will replace United States-based American Heart Association training.

“The Resuscitation Council training provides significant advantages over the AMA’s training as previously configured in the BVI context, which has become increasingly expensive and complex to administer outside of the mainland US,” he said. “This new programme is more cost-effective, provides additional levels of training which can improve the benefits to a wider range of staff, [and] allows the BVIHSA to have access to updates and the ability to become a Resuscitation Council-accredited training centre for the region.”

Already, he added, six of the territory’s healthcare providers have begun training, and 108 people were trained in a week-long programme in September.

The BVIHSA’s partnership with Back to Life Limited paves the way for the VI to become the first accredited centre for RCUK training in the Caribbean, Mr. Wheatley said.