The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

DESPITE intense push back from stakeholders over National Health Insurance, Prime Minister Perry Christie said yesterday the government still intends to proceed with the healthcare scheme because it has the “right advice” from both its Costa Rican and Bahamian consultants.

The nation’s leader also castigated stakeholders who have taken their critiques of the process to the media saying: “You are not going to be speaking to me from Mount Olympus – The Tribune and the Guardian – and make that into consultation.”

He said he found it “stupid” and “nonsensical” that there continues to be a fight over the details of the initiative when the issues of concern could be placed on the table and addressed.

However, Mr Christie suggested that he remained open to continued discussions over NHI and revealed the government’s intentions to seek additional recommendations.

He spoke to reporters on the sidelines of the Bahamas Business Outlook at the Melià Nassau Beach Hotel where he reiterated that there will be no impact on jobs as a result of NHI’s roll out.

“We are going ahead,” he told reporters. “I have met with doctors, young, old (and) specialists in the hospital and outside of the hospital. Whatever their point of view is, the government has the time to hear their point of view. We have had PricewaterhouseCoopers in addition to Sanigest (government hired Costa Rican consultants). We have Bahamian advisers. I’m going outside of that now just to make sure that what we are doing is the right thing.”

He added: “If we are offering a certain amount of money for the medical home and you view differently let me know what you say it should be and then we will have a response. That is the way we must conduct ourselves in this country, it’s too small for these long distance aerial bombardments.

“It doesn’t make sense to interfere with what the government is going to do if the government has the right advice. Our advice is based on the consultants and from the consultants we have had, including our Bahamian consultants. I want to reiterate that we are going to seek further advice on the matter from people whose life and expertise has been insurance and in health insurance.

“I’m going to meet with the doctors and anyone who advises me, they can have access to. I want to ensure that everyone has a fair opportunity to feed into the policy, to cause the policy to be finessed, but you are not going to be speaking to me from Mount Olympus so to speak, The Tribune and the Guardian and make that into consultation. If you say that people are not consulting you fairly and you have met with the prime minister, meet with him again and say it.”

He also addressed concerns that patients with catastrophic diseases will not be covered when the primary care package comes into force in April of this year. He said the government plans to create a $24m to $25m catastrophic fund to address those needs.

Mr Christie further shed light on the vital benefits package, which the government intents to introduce later in the implementation process. This stage is expected to see a $600m to $700m fund.

“When I met with the specialists and the doctors they raised the matter of what happens when we see these people at the primary level and we diagnose them with having some major illness. How do we deal with that?

“So we created a fund. The fund is a temporary placement of moneys to cover the period it would take to evolve the National Insurance programme to the point where the benefits package is being offered and clearly defined. This fund is an emergency fund that will be related to the diagnosis of the specialist and to be able to go into that fund to cover the cost of whatever their treatment is.

“The vital benefits package will be the ability to cover people with diseases. It’s something we want to be able to have. (It is expected to cost) $600m to $700m and we were talking about two phases of introduction but it’s a matter that will all come from discussion and collaboration.”

Responding to questions over Bahamian insurer objections to there being a public insurer, Mr Christie said private insurance companies must come to him and say why they are against it.

“If a private insurer does not insure you and you have to have insurance in default, the default insurer picks it up. It is not intended to impact jobs. Other counties have done this. I know people fight for their positions (and) they fight against change. They are suspicious about people and sometimes when there is emotional language used that language is misinterpreted and misapplied as government policy, which it is not.

“Again I am saying that if people have a different view and they feel that view is not being heard by the people they are talking to, who are either colleagues of mine or people employed by us as consultants, then they have the court of appeal. I’m the president of the court of appeal.

“Why should we in the Bahamas be fighting over stupid things without at least saying we are giving ourselves the opportunity to put those on the table and address the opportunities? I find it absolutely nonsensical,” Mr Christie said.

NHI registration began on Monday.