The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

THE National Insurance Board will begin its “enhanced” registration campaign for National Health Insurance on January 18, officials revealed yesterday.

NIB Director Rowena Bethel said the new NIB smart card, which was launched last year, will be used as the primary tool for identifying persons that are eligible for NHI services. Without it, she said persons “wouldn’t be able to establish that you have coverage.”

There are approximately 215,000 Bahamian citizens and legal residents not in possession of the NIB smart card.

Mrs Bethel said on January 18, six “strategically located registration centres” will be established in the densely populated areas of New Providence.

Doing so, Mrs Bethel said, would give the government “adequate time” to conduct the full registration process for NHI, which she said officials expect to last for “largely the first quarter of next year.” She also said that NIB is the government agency that will facilitate the entire registration process.

However, she could not say whether NIB’s role extends any further in NHI’s rollout.

Officials also said 10 mobile units will be deployed throughout New Providence to assist the business community as well as government ministries where the number of employees exceeds 100. Those mobile units also will be responsible for visiting schools throughout New Providence.

Two mobile units also will be stationed in Grand Bahama to conduct on-site visits to businesses and organisations with a staff compliment of at least 50 to conduct the registration process at the island’s schools, officials said. Two registration centres will also be opened on Grand Bahama along with a site at the Freeport local office complex and the Eight Mile Rock local office.

As for the Family Islands, the local NIB offices on each island will be used for the registration of all persons including students. Mobile units will be sent to the Berry islands, Grand Cay, Rum Cay and Ragged Island on “specific dates,” officials said.

All entities utilising the mobile service will be required to complete and submit the registration application form and the supporting documents at least two weeks in advance of the visit by the mobile team. The cards will be delivered one week after registration, officials said.

Officials also noted that all students will be registered during site visits by the respective mobile units, thus eliminating the need for parents to register them at any of the registration centres. However, officials said that parents will be expected to accompany children who are not yet in school to one of the fixed registration centres for registration. “The upcoming registration drive is a continuation of the process started back in April 2014 to ensure that all of our registrants provide up to date information and to have access to the new smart card,” said Cecile Bethel-Williams, NIB senior deputy director of operations. “At the same time as registering or updating their information in our database, NIB is encouraging all of our registrants to provide us with an email address so that they can take advantage of our registrant self-service portal that allows them online access to their NIB information as well as any additional information.”

According to Mrs Bethel, NIB intends to issue 25,000 new cards in Grand Bahama and 26,000 throughout the Family Islands during the registration phase. She said approximately 157,000 registration cards have been issued nationwide as of December 2.

Operating hours for the New Providence registration centres will be from 12 noon to 8pm from Monday to Saturday. The local offices in Grand Bahama will extend their hours of operation on weekdays to 7pm, in addition to adding a 12 noon to 5pm opportunity for registration.

The hours of service on the Family Islands will be extended to 7pm on weekdays.

NHI will be phased in over a five-year period, officials have said. The government has previously said NHI will be introduced on January 1, with the first phase to encompass registration and improvements to public health infrastructure.

According to officials, the plan’s primary healthcare package will be rolled out in April.