The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemeda.net

The National Health Insurance (NHI) Advisory Council is expected to meet within the next two weeks to discuses time-lines for the scheme’s roll-out, with stakeholder groups yesterday lauding the initiative as “a step in the right direction”.

Peter Deveaux-Isaacs, the NHI permanent secretary, said 14 stakeholder groups were represented yesterday at the first meeting of the Council. 

“In the next two weeks we will meet again. We should be in a better position to say exactly where we are in the implementation of NHI,” said Mr Deveaux-Isaacs.

“We are working feverishly to try and bring this thing about. We know that Bahamians want it; more than 89 per cent of the persons we have polled have indicated a positive reaction to the implementation of NHI, so we want to make this happen.”

Dr Sy Pierre,  president of the Medical Association of the Bahamas, and head of the Bahamas United Healthcare Reform Alliance (UHRA), said the Advisory Council was  a “welcomed development” and demonstrated the Government’s intent on stakeholder engagement.

“We are not against National Health Insurance. We have always been for National Health Insurance-funded universal health care,” Dr Pierre said.

“This is a welcomed development where it seems the Government is serious in engaging with all of the stakeholders so we can get a programme that is sustainable for all Bahamians and legal residents.”

Edison Sumner, the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation’s (BCCEC) chief executive, described yesterday’s meeting as very productive.

“We thought that the engagement now of the consultants at KPMG, and the approach that they are taking on advising the Government and the NHI Secretariat on the way forward, is very productive,” he said.

“We look forward to the conversations and the meetings going forward, and to be able to provide the input of the Chamber of Commerce, our membership, and particularly the employers in the country, who ultimately will have to pay for this programme.

“We thought the meeting was productive. They have done some homework and obviously put in some thought in terms of how they want to roll this out in terms of advising government and stakeholders on the process going forward.”

Emmanuel Komolafe, the Bahamas Insurance Association (BIA) chairman, described the Council as a “step in the right direction”.

“I  think that in the coming weeks we will be getting into the details, rolling up our sleeves and ensuring that  universal health care implemented or expanded in the Bahamas is the best it can be,” he said.

“It was agreed that in the next meting there would be more discussions as to the exact timelines for different phases. It will require that we pace ourselves and ensure that things are done properly.”