Virgin Gorda keeps pushing for better healthcare

After weeks of voicing their frustrations online, an “ad hoc committee” of Virgin Gorda residents issued a press release last week detailing a litany of concerns about healthcare on the sister islands.

Budgetary matters are at the top of their list, as is a push for more representation in government, according to the Sept. 25 release.

“The Ad Hoc Committee for Urgent Enhancement of Health Care to the Virgin Gorda community is deeply concerned about the lack of representation and follow-through on critical funding requests made by the BVI Health Services Authority to the minister of health and social development as well as the government of the Virgin Islands,” the release states.

It adds that the BVIHSA previously requested supplemental finance for healthcare clinics on sister islands but has not received the needed support.

Specifically, the press release explains, the BVIHSA requested a $2 million annual subsidy to “cover the operating deficit of community clinics, including those in Virgin Gorda,” along with capital expenditure of $384,400 to fix the leaking roof of the Nurse Iris O’Neal Medical Centre in Spanish Town.

“The roof leaks have resulted in water pooling on the second floor, which disrupts operations on the first floor and poses a significant risk to patient care and staff safety,” the release states.

The second floor has never opened to the public, despite the clinic itself opening with much fanfare in early 2020.

The release did not name the committee leaders or other members. Asked for their names and other information, member Sharon Flax-Brutus, who helped circulate the release, told the Beacon that its questions would be brought to the group in a meeting yesterday.

Accountability

The committee’s press release came less than a month after 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.

Amid the resulting outrage, about 100 people attended a Sept. 6 community meeting with health officials on the island.

The ad hoc committee said last week that it was still awaiting health officials’ “follow-ups and action points” from the meeting and demanded another meeting by yesterday.

The committee also said it aims to bring more accountability to the healthcare sector.

“The [committee] is calling for an immediate explanation as to why these crucial needs have not been prioritised,” the release states. “We are also requesting that preliminary proposed budget estimates for 2025 as it relates to healthcare throughout the territory, as well as a breakdown per island per specific clinic, be shared with us.”

Health and Social Development Minister Vincent Wheatley, who the release identified as lacking “follow-through,” told the Beacon that he was overseas at a health conference, but he praised the community-led initiative.

“I do feel that the public agitating for change is generally a good thing as it can empower their representative to advocate in the [House of Assembly] for such changes, depending on the nature of them,” Mr. Wheatley stated.

‘Meeting the needs’

In response to a Beacon query on Monday, the BVIHSA echoed Mr. Wheatley’s sentiments.

“We welcome any initiative or group, such as the ad hoc committee, that seeks to improve health services,” BVIHSA Marketing and Public Relations Officer Damion Grange wrote in an email. “It is through such partnerships and community engagement that we continue to enhance our service delivery, meeting the needs of our people.”

Since the Sept. 6 community meeting, he added, the authority has “been working on several fronts to address the community’s concerns when possible.”

Without providing specific details, Mr. Grange stated that “some” initiatives are now “under way,” though he acknowledged more could be done to prioritise progress.

Regarding the committee’s financial demands, the BVIHSA claimed it is in “active discussions with relevant stakeholders” to explore funding.

In the meantime, the authority committed to transparency and efficiency.
“We appreciate the concerns of the Virgin Gorda community and will continue to engage with them to address their needs,” Mr. Grange wrote in the seven-paragraph response. “Should other sister islands adopt similar approaches, we will similarly welcome their efforts, as the BVIHSA is always open to working with communities to achieve shared healthcare goals.”

Clinic closure

The most recent problems at the Nurse Iris O’Neal Medical Centre started after Tropical Storm Ernesto passed over the territory on Aug. 14.

Two days later, the BVIHSA announced that the facility had closed because of a “low voltage situation.” A week later, another bulletin notified VG residents that the clinic’s doors would remain shut until further notice.

“The clinic has already undergone a deep cleaning, and mould-related concerns have been addressed,” an Aug. 23 bulletin stated.

“The reopening is further delayed because the AC system requires new parts that are not available locally.”

Five days later, another bulletin announced that the clinic was back open after mobile AC units had been installed.

Despite its reopening, however, 24-hour services had yet to resume: The Aug. 28 bulletin stated that the clinic would be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and that residents in need of medical assistance should contact the emergency number 340-2045.

Mr. Sprauve arrived at the clinic on Aug. 30 after hours, the BVIHSA announced later.

The facility is now back open around the clock, but the episode isn’t the first time the sister islands’ medical facilities have struggled.

In January 2023, a scathing report by Sister Islands Programme Coordinator Sasha Flax stated that the sister islands had been plagued by inadequate emergency medical services for years.

The report — which was leaked to the Beacon but never officially made public — includes analysis of information collected in 2022 based on interviews with numerous residents, department heads and district officers, who complained of several issues across their organisations and departments.

According to the report, all the government entities that the Sister Islands Unit interviewed identified a lack of adequate staffing.

“Some departments are working with less than a skeleton staff and are not being given the support they need to carry out their duties,” the report stated.