The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business

Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

IF PROPERLY structured, National Health Insurance (NHI) could could transform the Bahamian healthcare system into a ‘multi-billion’ industry, the head of a Bahamas-based pharmaceutical and medical equipment supplier said yesterday, telling Tribune Business that improving efficiencies and access to care are key to implementation of the scheme.

“If we are going to enact NHI we have to mitigate some of these longstanding issues first; improve the level of access to care, the quality of care and the prevention of chronic illnesses,” said Pedro Roberts III, chief executive of the CDM Group - formerly Commonwealth Drugs & Medical Supplies.

“The healthcare sector is the next opportunity to grow the economy. This NHI initiative can turn the medical industry into a multi-billion industry. For instance you can have structured home care for the elderly and structured home care for persons recuperating at home. You do not need a $800 million hospital for that. Thirty per-cent of those people laying in the hospital are in there recuperating and you do not need that. What you do need is a cadre of nurses that can be tracked and trained to go into certain communities to perform community nursing services. NHI is the opportunity to turn the medical industry in this country and turn it into a real business which would provide jobs and income for many Bahamians,” said Mr Roberts.

“It’s been in our estimation that NHI would eventually if done properly be in the area of $1 billion a year. From the outset if you run a proper screening programme for diabetes you would find a large number of people are Type I diabetics or borderline diabetics. We don’t need more Cuban doctors: we need more efficiency and better planning as to how we will go about things.”

The introduction of primary healthcare was slated for April but, in late March, Health Minister Dr Perry Gomez acknowledged that there would be a delay of about six months so the government could establish a public insurer. Prime Minister Perry Christie, during his budget communication last week, reiterated his commitment to implementing the scheme, although he did not discuss cost or timelines. The government estimates that primary healthcare services will initially cost about $100m, a figure verified by its consultants Sanigest Internacional and KPMG.