The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A Cabinet minister yesterday said he had no problem with Dr Hubert Minnis committing The Bahamas to a $40m loan one day before the general election as it has secured vital health funding.

Dr Michael Darville, minister of health and wellness, told Tribune Business he would have been forced to seek “supplementary Budget funding” for the COVID-decimated public healthcare system had the former administration not signed the loan agreement with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

The loan contract, which has been seen by this newspaper, shows that Dr Minnis signed in his then-capacity as prime minister and minister of finance on September 15, 2021, just one day before his Free National Movement (FNM) administration was voted out of office.

The timing again raises questions about whether an outgoing administration should seek to bind the hands of its successor in such a manner by agreeing to such hefty financial commitments, but others will argue that the move was timely regardless given the overwhelming pressure the surge in COVID-19 infections has imposed on the overburdened public healthcare system.

The $40m loan, which will finance efforts to strengthen critical aspects of the Bahamian healthcare system, was signed off by the IDB’s Bahamas country representative, Daniela Carrera-Marquis, on August 11, 2021, meaning that waited a full month for the Government to sign-off with the country in the throes of a general election campaign.

Dr Darville, though, took the less stringent view on the timing of Dr Minnis’ signing, saying: “I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt. Any time the Government talks about strengthening the healthcare system in The Bahamas, whether it signs a day before a general election or months before, is a good thing.

“In this economic environment, we definitely need the funding. It’s $40m over a five-year period. We intend to use this efficiently, and ensurer we get value for money........ For me, coming in, when we look at budget allocations and the way COVID-19 has stretched the healthcare budget to the limit, if this facility was not in place I would have to get supplementary Budget funding to deal with this.”

However, while the Davis administration is “going to plan”, Dr Darville said one immediate priority was to upgrade many of the Family Island clinics. “I have to use it very efficiently for the Bahamian people to help our healthcare infrastructure,” he added. “We have so many deficiencies as we speak that it will be very difficult for us to provide service at the level the Bahamian people expect of us.”

Dr Minnis could not be reached for comment before press time last night, despite this newspaper leaving messages and texts. However, an annex to the $40m loan contract said the monies are intended to “support the strengthening of The Bahamas’ health system to meet the population’s needs”.

The goals include integrating the primary and secondary care services variously offered via the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA), Department of Public Health and National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA). Improved healthcare efficiency is another desired outcome, along with “improved access, coverage and quality” through a community-centred model.

Some nine primary care health clinics in seven different islands are to be constructed and/or retrofitted, although the locations are not identified. Almost $18m has been set aside for this purpose, with another $10m allocated for the healthcare system’s modernisation and $8m to improve the healthcare delivery model.

The Bahamas is due to receive $60m in total from the IDB in healthcare-related financing, with a separate $20m facility having been dedicated to the fight against COVID-19. That facility, obtained under the previous Minnis administration, is understood to have some $11m-$12m still available to the Government.

According to the IDB, that $20m loan was designed to strengthen the Ministry of Health’s response management, improve case detection and monitoring, support the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines and the vaccination plan, assist the actions to break the illness’s transmission chain and improve service delivery capacity.

There are four components that include strengthening the response leadership at the country level by enhancing decision-making capabilities, surveillance, assessment, public health management, and multi-sectoral coordination.

The programme was to improve case detection and monitoring by expanding the Ministry of Health’s capacity for screening, case detection, contact tracing, and tracking of COVID-19 cases. It was also to support the COVID-19 vaccination strategic plan to reach the target vaccination of the prioritised groups as well as the procurement of vaccines, the design, and implementation of a public communications campaign, epidemiological surveillance at entry points, and the necessary supplies.