The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas has joined a regional healthcare alliance intended to coordinate technical support and financing for primary care reform.

However, officials have not disclosed what specific projects, funding or timetable will result from the arrangement.

The country became the 12th nation and the first CARICOM member state to join the Alliance for Primary Health Care in the Americas after the Ministry of Health and Wellness signed a memorandum of understanding with the Pan American Health Organization, the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank yesterday.

Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville said the agreement would bring technical expertise, investment and innovation into closer alignment with the country’s national health priorities and help accelerate the transformation of the healthcare system through a primary healthcare approach.

However, no amount of financing for The Bahamas was announced, and officials did not identify any new clinics, services or programmes that would be delivered under the agreement. They also did not say when the mechanisms outlined in the memorandum would be implemented or when patients could expect to see results.

Dr Darville said participation in the alliance would allow The Bahamas to work more closely with PAHO, the IDB and the World Bank and draw on international expertise and healthcare solutions used elsewhere in the Americas.

“Ultimately, this collaboration is about ensuring that every Bahamian can access timely, quality healthcare services and receive preventative services before illnesses become severe or advance,” Dr Darville said.

He said the Ministry of Health was ready to implement the mechanisms outlined in the agreement, but did not detail what those mechanisms were.

PAHO Director Dr Jarbas Barbosa described the signing as an important milestone for The Bahamas and the region.

He said the alliance was created by PAHO, the IDB and the World Bank to place primary healthcare at the centre of health system reform through coordinated technical cooperation, policy discussions and financing.

Dr Barbosa said the initiative had supported the alignment of more than $1bn in health system investments across participating countries. He did not say whether any portion of that investment would be available to The Bahamas.

He said the agreement would help improve access to healthcare across the archipelago and support innovative and resilient community-based services for Family Island residents.

IDB Chief of Operations for The Bahamas Steven Collins said primary healthcare was the foundation of a strong, people-centred health system and highlighted projects already being supported by the bank.

He said the government was investing in the construction and upgrading of clinics on several Family Islands and expanding telehealth services to improve access in remote communities.

“These investments are about much more than buildings,” Mr Collins said. “They represent a commitment to ensuring that every Bahamian has access to quality healthcare, no matter where they live.”

Officials did not clarify whether those existing projects would now form part of the alliance’s work or whether separate initiatives would be developed under the memorandum.