By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
rolle@tribunemedia.net
PRIME Minister Perry Christie has a habit of communicating ideas and plans before performing assessments and understanding important details, Free National Movement Chairman Michael Pintard said yesterday.
His comment comes as the Christie administration faces criticism for not divulging key information about its National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme, the first phase of which is expected to be introduced in January.
Referring to value added tax (VAT) and the gaming referendum, Mr Pintard said history suggests the government’s NHI scheme and timeline will not go according to plans.
“Mr Christie has a pattern of communicating ideas without having first internal discussions with people required to drive the processes needed to bring the ideas to fruition,” he said. “He announces before internal discussion and planning takes place. Then he seeks to force the system to meet unrealistic deadlines. He has done this on numerous occasions. Whether gaming, gender equality referendum, VAT, you name the initiative by this government, almost every programme is announced before serious internal discussions to come up with realistic deadlines takes place.
“He wishes to put forth grand ideas because of the immediate positive feedback he anticipates he is going to get. Now more than ever, the deadline has to do with pressures. Right now they are experiencing tremendous pressure to produce results for a public that has been thoroughly dissatisfied with the results thus far.”
As for substantive criticism of the government’s NHI plans, Mr Pintard spoke of deadlines that have already been missed and a lack of specifics over the first two phases of NHI, including what they will include and how they will be paid.
“The deadlines given by the government are unrealistic given the fact that they have missed important self-imposed deadlines recommended to them by their healthcare consultants,” he said. “For example, they are expected to put in place a fully integrated IT system that would manage this scheme; that has not happened. It’s not clear if the IT system has been sourced. The personnel has not been fully trained. The government by this time should’ve commenced the upgrade of several areas in the hospital and broader health care system. Thirdly, government should’ve completed its consultation with other service providers in order to agree upon the prices, the fees they would be expecting and the timeline for commencement. Furthermore, the government has not clearly identified what will take place in phase one and what will be the costing of this.”
The government has allocated money in the budget for this fiscal year to allow for the roll out of the first two phases of NHI.
However, Mr Pintard argued that it’s not possible to know the full cost without properly consulting service providers, many of whom say they are in the dark over the government’s scheme.
“If you have not had a discussion with health care providers, you aren’t in a position to say what will be adequate,” he said.
Mr Pintard also criticised the government’s messaging on NHI, saying that by focusing on introducing primary care coverage in April, the administration is not being upfront with Bahamians about the limited impact this will have on helping people address the exorbitant prices associated with some healthcare services.
Comments
TruePeople 9 years ago
QUOTE: Referring to value added tax (VAT) and the gaming referendum, Mr Pintard said history suggests the government’s NHI scheme and timeline will not go according to plans.
...... they actually plan this non-sense? honestly, the gov't often looks reactionary and improvised most times to me....
I think Christie is run his mouth cus that's all it is is talk. He wants to sound good with little intention of delivering. The only thing he really seems serious about is getting those votes come election time, and preferably some good financial kickbacks in the mean time.
Cobalt 9 years ago
I hope Bahamians are realizing how stupid they've been for voting the PLP into office.
I thought that the FNM was bad, but this Christie led government has defiantly taken the cake. What a colossal failure they are. Three and a half years of failed promises, and nothing that they've put their hands to has materialized. Everything that they touch goes to shit.
2017 can't come quick enough.
TruePeople 9 years ago
Ya see, if the FNM dem was really serious, they would call non-confidence vote and force an election.
If they ein doing that, then they and PLP dem is all one and the same damn thing
digimagination 9 years ago
Two sides of the came coin! Flip it in the air and it really matters not whether it lands head or tail - same thing.
Cobalt 9 years ago
I used to think the same thing, but that's not true.
Don't get me wrong.... the FNM has made some bad choices as it relates to our country. But they've also conducted major projects that have benefitted the Bahamian people. The FNM brought in Atlantis; the FNM dredged the harbor so that major cruise liners can dock in nassau; the FNM conducted a facelift downtown many years ago; the FNM built new roads; the FNM renovated the airport; they initiated the building of the national stadium; the FNM put electricity on many of the out islands the previously didn't have it; the FNM has conducted many infatructural projects within the Bahamas. I bet my bottom dollar that if the FNM were in power, Bahamar would have been fully operational. HAI isn't a personable character. But the man knows how to conduct business.
What major projects can the PLP hang their hats on and say that they've completed???? Not a damn one!
The FNM's problem was that they neglected the immediate concerns of the people. When the economy took a down turn, Hubert Ingraham seemed careless about the plight of the Bahamian people. In spite of this, the real reason that the Bahamian public voted the FNM out of office was because HAI sold BTC.
But the truth is.... BTC needed to be sold. They were the most expensive telecommunications company in the western world, yet they offered the worst service. And ironically, nothing has changed.
The FNM was not and is not the ideal government. But they're sure as hell better than the PLP.
sealice 9 years ago
he has a habit of talking fool.....
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