The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement Leader Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday said he is personally “insulted” by the “greedy” label put on members of the Consultant Physician Staff Association by Minister of Labour and National Insurance Shane Gibson earlier this week.

Dr Minnis said the duplicitous nature of the Christie administration’s approach to the implementation of National Health Insurance (NHI) has forced many Bahamians to ask pertinent questions about the plan – questions he said, the PLP is “unable and ill-prepared” to answer.

Dr Minnis, an obstetrician and gynaecologist by profession, said he was incensed by Mr Gibson’s statement that senior doctors in the medical field appear more interested in “making the mighty dollar” than saving lives.

He told The Tribune that most, if not all doctors, find themselves on a daily basis needing to take resources from their private practices to ensure that the patients they treat in public facilities receive adequate care.

Dr Minnis said local physicians should be viewed as “humanitarians,” not “greedy.”

“He (Mr Gibson) is unaware of the sacrifices physicians make,” the former minister of health said. “Go to the record, check it, thousands of dollars in personal supplies are brought in to government facilities to be used on patients that are trying their best to receive quality care.”

Dr Minnis insisted that overarching flaws in the government’s handling of NHI have resulted in a lack of understanding and education related to the health plan. He said the government has failed to hold proper consultation discussions with physicians, opting for more of a “meet, give directives and hope that it is enough” approach.

“They have no clue what it means to hold a series of consultations. Doctors are trained to analyse and ensure that everything is correct. That is basis of all of their questions,” Dr Minnis said.

“All doctors want is a sustainable, workable system. That is what they are demanding of the government and in response the government opts to label them as greedy and point the finger at them.

“If you want to see who the greedy ones are in this country, let’s see the contracts for BAMSI, the contracts for the roads and parks initiatives, let us have a look at the garbage truck contracts. Put all of that out in the open and let the people decide who exactly is being greedy when it comes to matters of national importance,” he added.

Mr Gibson suggested on Monday that the CPSA and other NHI critics have adopted a self-serving attitude.

He said the CPSA is afraid to express its “true feelings” on NHI for fear that “the public will say they’re greedy and have no conscience.”

His statement came a day after the CPSA said it would “not sign on or agree to go forward with any NHI registration” unless the NHI committee is “willing to respect our input into the whole system.”

The group represents about 100 senior doctors in the country’s public health system.

This is the latest jab in a war of words between Dr Minnis and Mr Gibson.

On Monday, Mr Gibson slammed the Killarney MP for recently suggesting that NHI may be ineffective without a catastrophic care package at the outset. Mr Gibson said Dr Minnis’ comments were the “greatest degree of hypocrisy ever in the history of the Bahamas,” explaining that the Prescription Drug Plan introduced when Dr Minnis was minister of health was “a platform to National Health Insurance.”

On Monday, the National Insurance Board began registering people for its smart card, which will be used to identify those who can access NHI services.

The government has still not said how much NHI will cost or how it will be funded in the long-term.

NHI’s primary care package is expected to come on stream in April.