The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

A well-known physician said yesterday that Prime Minister Perry Christie’s 2016/2017 budget communication has given very little comfort that his administration would effectively “get the job done” with National Health Insurance (NHI), arguing that the Prime Minister’s communication was “too short” on specifics for the highly touted healthcare initiative.

Free National Movement (FNM) Senator Dr Duane Sands told Tribune Business that more specifics on NHI were expected from Prime Minister Christie’s budget communication last week. “You would think that given the fact that this is the last budget presentation of this administration, you would have expected that something as important as National Health Insurance would have been given better, more specific treatment, not only in the narrative but in the numbers. If you crunch down the numbers you’ll see that yes, there has been a $2.5m allocation for the NHI Secretariat but it’s difficult to tease out in the numbers because it is buried in the Public Hospital Authority and so on. Exactly how much the government intends to commit to this important social and national initiative is a major question.”

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.

“We need to hear more specifics. I guess this all speaks to the fact that, even at this late stage, the government really isn’t quite clear on what it is seeking to accomplish and therefore he was unable to speak with any degree of precision to the programme. Everyone has basically gone on record saying they support universal health care and national health insurance throughout The Bahamas. Bahamians in this economy, which is challenged with people who are suffering, want specifics. Tell us what we are getting for what they are going to pay and tell us what impact it’s going to have on the lives of ordinary Bahamians. We are well past their own self-imposed deadline. Primary care was going to roll-out in April. After a number of questions were raised and the government realised that its deadline was too ambitious, it was put on the backburner. I will acknowledge that the government has taken our advice to get it right but national health insurance is important. People of The Bahamas want NHI. Why not get this thing right and make it a priority and set some time outlining the specifics, make some decisions about what you are going to do,” said Dr Sands.

He added: “There will be some kind of NHI plan, I guarantee that. Whether or not it has any significant impact on the welfare and lives of Bahamians is the question. I hope that it does but at this point certainly the prime minister’s budget communication does not give me any comfort or confidence that they would get the job done. I am aware of activities going on behind the scenes. I am participating in those activities to push NHI along but ultimately whether that programme sees light of day is dependent in large part on the commitment of the executive to both get it done and fund it.”

Prime Minister Christie during his budget communication 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. “The provision of practical and cost-effective Universal Health Care to Bahamians remains a key priority of my Government. The subject of National Health Insurance continues to attract healthy debate among medical practitioners and others; however, my commitment, and that of the Government, to the accessibility and affordability of basic medical services and the improvement of the quality of life for Bahamians, is unequivocal and together with the involvement of leadership from the NHI Bahamas Secretariat, the Ministry of Health, the Public Hospitals Authority and our global partner in healthcare, KPMG Bahamas, we are committed to delivering health care that is modern, affordable and accessible for all legal residents of The Bahamas,” said Mr Christie.

“My Cabinet has approved a single governance model that will accelerate the implementation of Universal Health Coverage while providing effective oversight of the programme. The approved, integrated Universal Health Coverage governance structure will allow for quick and effective decision making with transparency and accountability, as well as the alignment of health systems, and will result in greater efficiency, continuity of care and the seamless delivery of patient-centred services in the Government health sector. The accepted Integrated Universal Health Coverage governance model that my Government has adopted, following the recommendations of KPMG, is in keeping with our commitment to work with stakeholders to shape the design and implementation of Universal Health Coverage and support the advancement of health system-strengthening goals. Additionally, the Universal Health Care (UHC) Stakeholder Advisory Committee is being formed to improve the health of Bahamians through ongoing stakeholder engagement and continuous collaboration,” Mr Christie added.