italy

The family of a man employed onboard Carnival Cruise Line but died at the Rand Memorial Hospital in Grand Bahama is crying foul after his body was allegedly returned to Italy with missing organs.

“We want to know if he died at work and what happened to his organs,” sister Rosaria Torrisi lamented to an Italian local daily.

Her brother Alfio Torrisi, 54, worked as a carpenter on Carnival Paradise, employed by Techni Teak, a company based in Riposto, Sicily. He was reportedly hospitalized after becoming ill onboard the popular cruise line while docked in Grand Bahama. Still, he died on October 2023 while under medical care at the Rand Memorial Hospital in Freeport.

When the man’s body returned to Sicily, Italy, the family claims it was stuffed with wood dust and newspaper instead of organs, upon examination by an Italian forensic pathologist.

“My brother was very well. He had undergone medical checks shortly before and was healthy,” Rosaria told La Sicilia.

“He left behind a wife and a child, and us sisters and brothers with [a] destroyed father.

The Prosecutor’s Office in Catania, Italy has launched an investigation into his death, suspecting involuntary manslaughter.

“It all seems so absurd,” the angry sister added.

The Catania Prosecutor’s Office said it had written a letter to the hospital, seeking an explanation regarding the circumstances surrounding his death and reasons for the missing organs, but has heard nothing. It has since started the process for an international rogatory commission to obtain the necessary evidence for the involuntary manslaughter case it intends to pursue.

“We will not rest until we have the truth,” Rosario concluded.

Hillary Deveaux once dabbled in Bahamian politics and has since announced her new shoe line.

Deveaux was a candidate in the 2021 General Election under the banner of the Democratic National Alliance in the Elizabeth Estates Constituency. Since her unsuccessful attempt for a seat in Parliament, she took a step in another direction—designing footwear for women and men.

In a social media post, a delighted Deveaux said, “So I launched my first shoe line, one shoe of many. Can God do it? Yes, he can.”

The retro line which includes runners, ballerinas, sandals, boots, stilettos and wedges, are handmade by an Italian craftsman and are outfitted with Italian leather.

They are available for purchase and range from $191 to $237. Check out the link for purchase: https://www.beautifulshoes.info/shoes

The sobering comment by Former Health Minister Duane Sands has set off a public debate mixed with fury and uncertainty.

Sands on a local radio station, Guardian Radio, “The Hitback,” with Nahaja Black, said the heightened case of coronavirus in the country has placed doctors in a position to decide who lives and who dies.

The earnest reality of the pandemic has caused doctors to place patients with other life-threatening diseases like heart disease and cancer on the back burner, causing some to die.

With a high degree of certainty, the former minister said, “I understand the implications of my comment…that is happening now.”

Other countries have done the same

Physicians in the United States of America, Canada, and Italy have already been forced to make such moral decisions.

These countries have larger populations and the unexpected wave of the virus has filled their hospitals beyond capacity. Back in early March, Italy’s health system said there were too many patients for each one to receive adequate care. So, the Italian College of Anesthesia, Analgesia, Resuscitation and Intensive Care (SIAARTI)  published guidelines that doctors should follow as cases worsen.

These patients should be left to die as they place demands on scarce medical resources, according to the document written by a group of medical doctors.

• Patients that are old
• Patients with comorbidities
• Patients who require intensive care

They are guided by the utilitarian approach which stresses the principle, “the greatest good for the largest number,” which would ensure that patients with the highest chance of survival will access intensive care.

Doctors in the Bahamas are reaching that point

When health facilities are full to capacity, physicians are placed in a position where they are unable to manage and provide care for a patient who may need respiratory assistance.

Dr. Nikkiah Forbes, director of the Infectious Disease Programme said she has not personally seen a patient die because of the ability to provide care, but the country is close.

“If we continue beyond capacity, those difficult decisions may have to be made,” she said.

Health workers confirmed that the Bahamas is in a surge and the system is being pushed beyond capacity, emphasizing that the ability to provide care in that environment is challenging.