This morning, I had every intention of addressing the latest political fiction being circulated by Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Chairman Fred Mitchell. According to Mr. Mitchell, Bahamians should apparently be preoccupied with rumours of leadership intrigue inside the Opposition Free National Movement (FNM).

But then reality interrupted the script.

While the PLP Chairman was busy trying to manufacture political drama elsewhere, a far more consequential story emerged—one that should concern every Bahamian regardless of political affiliation.

The headline read:

“Darville: Govt looking to improve reliable power for PMH.”

Think about that for a moment.

Not “completed improvements.”

Not “the upgraded system functioned as designed.”

Not “our investment protected patients.”

Instead…

“Looking to improve reliable power.”

After nearly five years in office.

According to reports in The Nassau Guardian, a recent island-wide power outage resulted in the malfunction of a generator serving Princess Margaret Hospital’s Medical Ward. Health and Wellness Minister Dr. Michael Darville acknowledged that while newer backup generators exist at parts of the hospital, older infrastructure was more severely affected. He said government officials are now implementing corrective measures to improve the reliability of backup power should another outage occur.

No one doubts that officials worked to restore services as quickly as possible.

The real question is:

Why was the country’s premier public hospital still vulnerable to this type of failure after almost five years of PLP governance?

Reliable electrical power at a tertiary hospital is not a luxury.

It is not an optional capital project.

It is a life-support system.

Operating theatres, dialysis units, intensive care equipment, ventilators, laboratory services and countless other critical medical functions depend upon uninterrupted electricity. Backup generation is supposed to provide confidence—not headlines.

Yet today, Bahamians are being told that government is now “looking to improve” reliability.

One cannot ignore the obvious timeline.

The Davis administration took office in September 2021.

That is almost five years ago.

During that period, the government has repeatedly argued that it inherited challenges. Every administration inherits challenges. The question voters eventually ask is not what you inherited—it is what you accomplished after inheriting it.

This discussion also revives another uncomfortable chapter.

One of the Davis administration’s earliest healthcare decisions was to halt the Princess Margaret Hospital redevelopment plan advanced under the previous FNM administration. The government subsequently abandoned the financing package secured for that project and instead pursued financing for a new specialty hospital. Those decisions have been publicly acknowledged by both the government and the Opposition, although each side continues to defend its respective approach.

That naturally raises a question deserving public debate:

Had the PMH redevelopment proceeded instead of being stopped and redesigned, how much further along would Princess Margaret Hospital be today?

Would its electrical infrastructure already have been modernized?

Would vulnerable sections of the hospital already have benefited from upgraded backup power?

No one can answer those questions with certainty.

But they are legitimate questions because the government itself is now acknowledging that improvements to reliable power are still needed.

This is not merely about politics.

It is about priorities.

The government chose to cancel one course of action in favour of another. After nearly five years, Bahamians are entitled to evaluate the results of those decisions.

Ironically, this announcement exposes something larger than a generator problem.

It exposes a planning problem.

Government ministers often tell the public that they are “moving swiftly” once a crisis occurs. Yet citizens increasingly wonder why so many critical systems seem to receive urgent attention only after they fail in public.

Being reactive is not the same as being prepared.

And preparedness is exactly what citizens expect when it comes to the country’s principal public hospital.

Dr. Darville deserves credit for acknowledging the problem and for committing to corrective measures.

But acknowledgement is not achievement.

The larger responsibility rests with the Davis administration, which has governed long enough that ongoing deficiencies at PMH are no longer simply inherited problems—they are now part of its own record.

Perhaps Fred Mitchell should spend less time searching for imaginary political battles inside the Opposition and more time asking difficult questions within his own government.

Because while the PLP was busy talking about “Progress,” Bahamians have now learned that the country’s most important hospital is still looking for reliable power.

That is not the kind of progress patients—or taxpayers—were promised.

The Bahamian people deserve better.

END