The Tribune

By Inigo ‘Naughty’ zenicazelaya

NHI or bust?

This past week, the Consultant Physicians Staff Association (CPSA) stated for the record that it would not sign on to the government’s National Health Insurance (NHI) plans because they felt marginalised by the process.

To say it is a big deal for the Christie Administration to move forward with the current timetable for NHI implementation after the CPSA’s announcement is an understatement.

In my mind, it’s like the government moving to build a big, beautiful hotel without ensuring Bahamian contractors are fully on board and sufficiently integrated in the process.

That’s right. NHI is starting to look like Baha Mar part two.

When the Bahamian public learned that in order to get what was dubbed as the ‘Bahamian Riviera’ entailed us swallowing the arrival of 8,000 Chinese workers to get the job done fast and efficiently, many grudgingly did just that. We took our slight resentment, mixed it in with some corned beef and grits and hoped that the end would justify the means.

Flash forward a few years later and all we have to show for it are a few buildings burning precious BEC ‘current’ and thousands of Bahamians left unemployed. Not to mention Bahamian contractors owed tens of millions of dollars.

I draw the comparison between the two big ‘legacy dreams’ of our current Prime Minister only because I have a sinking feeling that if the government moves forward without the CPSA we may be looking at an influx of international (or ‘foreign’ as we like to say) doctors and health care professionals.

While not everyone is too particular about which doctor performs services for them (you can’t be picky when you’re standing in PMH with blood gushing from every orifice, right?) I have a feeling that the ever-shrinking middle class workers (on whose back the government intends to ride NHI to reality) may be of a different view.

Take, for example, my wife, who (no matter what ailment she feels) always wants to go to ‘her doctor’ first.

Stomach ache? She wants to call Dr Laura. Headache? Dr Laura. Allergies? Dr Laura. When the Ebola virus looked like it could become a ‘thing’ affecting the western hemisphere she wondered aloud if she should get one step ahead in case of a potential outbreak by consulting with Dr Laura.

Don’t get me wrong. My wife is by no means a hypochondriac. In truth, we have been fairly healthy and usually only have to make one trip to the doctor for our yearly checkups. But Dr Laura delivered our youngest son, and built up a relationship with our family that makes the thought of uncertainty of the continuation of this relationship in the face of the impending NHI plan a non-starter.

Not that I know where our favourite health care providers will land when the ash settles.

We also have a family pediatrician, and our children have a special fondness for Dr Bassett. I hope to heaven we will not find ourselves telling a four-year-old with a tummy ache that the person who cures all his ailments (whom he has known all his life and feels loves him) will not be available when the next bout with the ’flu has him down in the dumps.

‘Good relationships’ is what is missing in the whole NHI debacle. The way things are playing out, it’s the government versus private health care providers and private insurance providers. How can we possibly get ‘world-class’ health care (and our money’s worth) from such a situation?

And how can we get past the impasse with the Minister for National Insurance and Labour, Shane Gibson, basically labelling dissenting doctors as ‘greedy’?

My sister-in-law is also a young doctor in this country. I have watched her since her early college years go through the hard work it takes to become a doctor. She logs long hours that scare even a workaholic like myself. Suffice it to say she performs at an exceptional level and the last word I would use to describe her is ‘greedy’. And she is a born and bred Grand Bahamian.

Before the government entertains creating an environment that may ultimately prove detrimental to Bahamian physicians who have sacrificed years of their lives to study in order to come home and work for the good of their fellow countrymen, I would suggest they re-engage the CPSA and the insurance industry and work to getting NHI implemented properly.

No doubt universal health care is very important for the country and I would love to see it come to fruition. But it should be done the right way. Or as close to ‘right’ as possible.

Otherwise, Bahamians taxpayers can expect to see this administration’s handiwork in the form of yet another big, beautiful building with every light burning. All the while nobody’s home.

As the torch burns

I must admit this time of year is the worst for me television-wise.

The Super Bowl draws near, and when the final whistle blows on the big game, it’s also signaling the beginning of the ‘dead pool’ in sports.

Outside sports, I get a laugh from reality shows. Sadly, it’s slim pickings in that regard as well. So, what is one to do?

Surprisingly, all of the drama in the news about the FNM gave me a great idea for a ‘reality show’ pilot.

It seems various factions within the party are pushing for another convention. With all the intrigue, back biting, belly aching, posturing and undermining going on, it can make for great television.

Watching the rumoured return of ‘Papa’ unfold should make for some great weekly episodes. It will be interesting to watch him like Fagin in ‘Oliver Twist’ as he weaves his veteran political webs, masterfully rounding up the ‘old gang’. Even though most will view this as an unwatchable re-run.

Throw in the whole LBT saga, filled with formidable PR (and a well-placed slap here and there), I can see a spin off and LBT starring in her own show.

The resilient Dr Duane Sands would have to be featured throughout the show as he tries to prove for the third time to be the ‘charm’ in Elizabeth.

Not to be forgotten or outdone, the present leader of the opposition party Dr Hubert Minnis, with his newly emerging political IQ and political manoeuvering, will fight to be the last man standing.

Hopefully after the show airs the FNM will finally see the error of their ways (and how counterproductive their actions and letters flying through the press can be viewed) and instead concentrate on winning the war instead of winning little battles.

I hope by the time they watch it’s not too late.

• Inigo ‘Naughty’ Zenicazelaya is the resident stand-up comic at Jokers Wild Comedy Club at the Atlantis, Paradise Island, resort and presents ‘Mischief and Mayhem in da AM’ from 6am to 10am, Monday to Friday, and ‘The Press Box’ sports talk show on Sunday from 10am to 1pm on KISS FM 96.1. He also writes a sports column in The Tribune on Tuesday. Comments and questions to naughty@tribunemedia.net.