The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE Tribune Business Reporter nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net THE GOVERNMENT should not be the sole manager of a National Health Care system, a leading doctor telling Tribune Business that such a move could be "disastrous". Well-known urologist, Dr Robin Roberts, in an interview with this newspaper, said: "I have a serious problem with government being the predominate owner and manager of a national health care system. There are many different models, and that is one model I hope we don't emulate, whereby the Government becomes the sole agent that is manning our health care system. I think that would be disastrous. "It is a matter of finding an approach whereby we can truly say we are cognisant of the cost containment, such that we can say we are getting the best that we can afford at this point in time. We have to identify what is truly our need, what we can truly afford and who is going to manage it." On medical tourism, Dr Roberts said the discussion was one that should not be held in a vacuum. "You can't talk about medical tourism in a vacuum," he explained. "People travel for healthcare for basically three reasons. One, it is because the health care is cheaper, and they are looking at a procedure that can be 50 to 75 per cent cheaper than in North America. "We cannot make healthcare cheaper in the Bahamas. I can't see someone travelling from America to the Bahamas for a routine procedure." He added: "The second reason people travel is because they can't access the treatment in North America; the waiting line is too long and people decide to go somewhere else even if it is going to cost a bit more. "We don't have the capacity for that. If we are going to import healthcare workers to do that we might as well become the 53rd state. I would hate to see healthcare become like tourism in terms of a hotel." Dr Roberts went on to note: "The third part is: Can we look at health tourism from the perspective of providing services that are not available? That is our niche for the time, because we provide care. There are a lot of things that need to be approved in the US that take a long time and an expensive process. It is something that has to be properly planned and thought out."