The Tribune

By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

FORT Charlotte MP Dr Andre Rollins yesterday accused the government of scrambling to put together the primary care phase of National Health Insurance in order to “fool the Bahamian people” into thinking the government has delivered on an election campaign promise.

Dr Rollins also said nothing the government is proposing will stop “cookouts or sponsor sheets” to fund medical expenses or allow Bahamians to get the healthcare they need for certain catastrophic illnesses.

While making his contribution in the House of Assembly yesterday during debate on the NHI Bill, Dr Rollins called NHI “an election eve gimmick” and said the primary care phase will “do nothing” to help the persons in the country who need emergency life saving surgeries.

“This is nothing but an election eve gimmick to have Bahamians believe you have delivered on your campaign promise,” Dr Rollins said.

“Nothing you are proposing will prevent the cookouts or the sponsor sheets or the desperate acts of support that Bahamians resort to like begging politicians and corporate Bahamas and others for assistance.”

However, on a point of order, Prime Minister Perry Christie explained that the government set aside $24m to create a special fund for patients with catastrophic medical problems. Mr Christie also said that “discretion” is exercised by the government today in meeting payments for persons who cannot afford certain surgeries.

“As a result of a meeting, our financial advisors came up with a sum of $24m to create a special fund for the purpose of treating the specific diseases of the kind the member is speaking about,” Mr Christie said.

“So I want the member to know that in the introduction of primary care, a compliment of that will be a fund, estimated to be able to cover specific diseases that can be diagnosed and therefore be able to have a transition for when the full benefits are offered. ...Recognising today when someone comes to any member of the government and says ‘my mommy needs surgery and it costs $45,000 to pay the heart surgeon’, discretion is exercised by the government today in meeting payments for that surgery.”

In January, leading physician and Senator Dr Duane Sands warned that without legislation governing the catastrophic fund, it opened it to potential abuse and accusations that some patients could receive preferential treatment. He also questioned how one patient would qualify for assistance from the NHI catastrophic fund while another did not.

In response Mr Christie said “a group of doctors,” not the government, will determine who receives access to the fund based on “objective criteria.”

The primary healthcare coverage phase includes visits to your doctor, prevention services, diagnostics and medication through a primary care provider.

Primary care services will be provided to all persons registered at no cost at point of service and with no tax imposed, the government has said.