The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The Government was yesterday urged to fire Sanigest Internacional as its main National Health Insurance (NHI) adviser, due to the “contempt” one of its key advisers had shown towards the Bahamian healthcare industry.

Dr Duane Sands told Tribune Business that Prime Minister Perry Christie and his administration needed to “disassociate themselves” from comments by Sanigest executive Etoile Pinder, who in a posting on her Facebook page referred to NHI opponents as “morons and money-grubbing asses”.

Dr Sands, a well-known physician and FNM Senator, told Tribune Business that “that type of language is unacceptable in any debate”.

He expressed concern that Ms Pinder’s comments, to which Tribune Business was alerted by industry stakeholders, threatened to “inflame” the NHI issue and, in so doing, undermine efforts to achieve a comprehensive, sustainable healthcare reform model acceptable to all sides.

But, agreeing that “it is in the public interest to see the tone of this discussion”, Dr Sands said the posting highlighted the apparent contempt that Sanigest held for opposing views - especially those coming from the likes of the Medical Association of the Bahamas (MAB), Bahamas Insurance Association (BIA) and private sector.

“I am deeply troubled by the language and the tone,” he told Tribune Business of Ms Pinder’s Facebook posting.

“It is so steeped in contempt for any opposing views. I hope she is not authorised or speaking for [Sanigest] or speaking out for the Government.

“Either the Government of the Bahamas will disassociate themselves from these repugnant comments, demand a public apology or seek to have Mr and Mrs Cercone terminated.”

Dr Sands said Ms Pinder’s social media commentary was especially troubling given that she was a paid consultant on a government contract, who was being compensated at the taxpayer’s expense and playing a key role in designing a radical overhaul of the Bahamian healthcare system.

She, together with her husband, Sanigest president, James Cercone, have also played a major role in NHI briefings, meetings and consultations with private healthcare industry members - a relationship that is likely to have been damaged by the comments.

The PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) accounting firm recently warned that Sanigest’s NHI model threatened to “seriously destabilise” both the public and private healthcare sectors - a finding that may well have been responsible for Ms Pinder venting her frustrations on Facebook.

“I give up. My country prefers morons and money-grubbing asses to intelligent, evidence-based decision-making. Peace out. I’m off to help countries that actually value my contributions. Good luck ya’ll,” she wrote.

Although the remarks are not directed at any individuals or companies specifically, there is little doubt that Ms Pinder was referring to the private sector opponents of the Government’s - and her - NHI model.

They reflect her, and likely Sanigest’s, frustration that the MAB, the BIA, the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation (BCCEC) and other private sector groups have remained steadfast in their NHI concerns and have yet to fully embrace the scheme.

However, Dr Sands blasted:”We are seeking sustainable healthcare reform, and while the debate may get impassioned, somewhat loud and occasionally a bit boisterous, that type of language is unacceptable in any debate.

“She should be condemned and sidelined from participating on the NHI debate going forward. If she wants to got to other countries where there are no morons or assess, so be it. It is surprising, coming from a Bahamian.”

Dr Sands expressed concern that Ms Pinder’s comments could detract from serious discussions on healthcare reform and achieving universal health coverage (UHC).

And he suggested that they exposed the “contempt” with which Sanigest, and the Government, had treated the concerns, opinions and advice of private sector stakeholders during the NHI debate.

“It has seriously inflamed passions, and speaks to the level of contempt that has existed throughout this process,” Dr Sands told Tribune Business of the social media posting.

“There have been repeated claims by stakeholders - the pharmacy wholesalers, the doctors and the insurance companies - that their views have not only not been considered, but have been dismissed with contempt.

“If we are going to accomplish anything that is sustainable, and has as much buy-in as possible, we can disagree, but let’s not be disagreeable.”

Conceding that he had “locked horns” with Ms Pinder when she was on the NHI technical team during the first Christie administration, Dr Sands reiterated that he was “offended, deeply offended by what I read”.

“It has put a real cloud on this discussion,” he added, calling on the Prime Minister; the minister of health, Dr Perry Gomez; and Peter Deveaux-Isaacs, the official heading the NHI committee, to address the matter.

Taking a final shot at Sanigest, Dr Sands told Tribune Business: “In my entire 21 years as a public servant, caring for patients in the public sector, I know for a fact I have never received anywhere near the fees Mr and Mrs Cercone have received for this work.

“I guess this makes me a money-grubbing ass.”

Tribune Business e-mails seeking a response from Mr Cercone, Ms Pinder and Sanigest were not responded to before press time last night.