By NATARIO McKENZIE
Tribune Business Reporter
nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net
HEALTH Minister Dr Perry Gomez said yesterday that with approximately $80m being spent annually on health care outside the Bahamas, the introduction of National Health Insurance (NHI) and modernisation of the public health care system should help to curb some of that outflow and allow local health care providers to benefit.
During the debate on the National Health Insurance Bill yesterday, Dr Gomez noted that more than 200,000 Bahamians are without health insurance. The NHI Bill was tabled in Parliament last week, with several stakeholders expressing disappointment that the revised Bill had still not addressed some outstanding concerns and had not been shown to them before it was tabled.
Dr Gomez said that more than 80 changes had been made to the draft Bill, telling Parliament yesterday that the revised Bill represented a significant improvement over the draft. Dr Gomez noted that while many persons assume that under NHI they will be required to go to a public health facility that will not be the case.
“NHI will allow members to receive their care from public as well as private sector doctors, laboratories, pharmacies that have become registered NHI providers. The ability to access health are services in both public and private facilities is one of the key feature of the NHI plan,” said Dr Gomez.
Dr Gomez noted that it is estimated that primary care under NHI will cost about $100m per year. “This amount would be adjusted each year to reflect the increase to the benefits package, the impact of inflation, as well as changes in the demand for health services,” he said. That money, he noted, will be transferred to the National Health Insurance Authority through the Consolidated Fund.
Comments
OMG 8 years, 1 month ago
So if the doctor sees a patient under the NI scheme will he have to wait an eternity to get paid ?
Alex_Charles 8 years, 1 month ago
of course he will, what do you think this is? a developed nation? This is the Bahamas
ohdrap4 8 years, 1 month ago
often when people go away, the treatment is not available locally or, if they were to use the hospital they have to wait 8 months for surgery while ther sickness gets worse.
so he cannot grab that 80 million no matter what.
Economist 8 years, 1 month ago
What he is saying is that the NHI is a way to force Bahamians to use the Bahamian doctors for everything.
More money in his pocket. He is not concerned about the quality of the care.
"All for me baby."
ohdrap4 8 years, 1 month ago
this is non sensical.
how is he going to stop people from going overseas?
if it is just a blood test or something, people do it right here. if they need a colonoscopy, o some mri scan or catarcat surgery, they pay out of pocket away because it is one quarter of the local price.
nhi might just give you a couple of blood tests, there will be no mri or dental procedure for the foreseeable future.
if it is major medical event, people have cookout, how is he going to make cookout money stay in the country.
watcher 8 years, 1 month ago
I wish the people in the comments section would stop making sense and asking reasonable questions. That's not how this works - we're all just supposed to accept whatever the Government tells tells us, because we're stupid.
hallmark 8 years, 1 month ago
Will the doctors and others have to provide a TCC in order to be paid?
asiseeit 8 years, 1 month ago
Gomez = Fuctard.
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