By NATARIO McKENZIE
Tribune Business Reporter
nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net
THE Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employer’s Confederation (BCCEC) said yesterday that it is “disappointing” that the revised National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill was tabled without feedback from key stakeholders, adding that the financing strategy for NHI remains one of the organisation’s “primary” concerns.
“While the tabling of the NHI Act is one of many steps on the path to the implementation of NHI, the BCCEC is concerned that we still have not yet seen the UHC Policy Paper and the NHI Policy Paper,” the Chamber said. “Ideally, these should have been shared and discussed before the NHI Act. Hopefully these two documents spell out acceptable long-term goals and strategies for achieving universal health care in the Bahamas and for a sustainable NHI system.
“One of the Chamber’s primary concerns remains the financing strategy for NHI and what costs workers and employers will have to bear to ensure its long-term sustainability. To date, we have only been told that the first phase, which offers primary care, will not require contributions or co-payments. Estimates on the likely costs for future phases should be identified at the outset.”
The private sector representative noted that while the NHI Bill tabled last week is an improvement over the draft released in January, with several of the specific suggestions provided by stakeholders including those from the BCCEC, having been included, “it is disappointing, though, that the revised Bill was tabled without any feedback on the changes from key stakeholders,” the Chamber said.
“The primary concern of most stakeholders in the January draft was governance and while still not ideal, it is pleasing to see that the composition of the board has been revised. Although the majority of members are still selected by the Minister, the additional guidance provided on the skills required for each appointment should make for better leadership of the new NHIA.
“We also note the list of specific items that will have to be included in the NHIA’s annual reports and that the report must be completed within three months after the year-end and laid in Parliament within 30 days of being sent to the Minster. The requirement to include plans, objectives and budgets for the coming year is a significant improvement over the current requirements for NIB’s annual report.”
BCCEC chief executive Edison Sumner told Tribune Business: “Even though we would have had a chance to make some contribution towards the previous draft, it was expected that the draft legislation would have made it back to the consultation group, the advisory group, before it was tabled in Parliament. It seems as if the process of getting the feedback was circumvented in this instance and that is not the way we would like to see this go. If we are not going to be used to provide feedback the it puts the entire process into question.”
Comments
Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years, 8 months ago
NHI can never be financially viable unless we first do something about our very serious illegal Haitian immigrant problem. But we don't see our government telling the Haitian Ambassador to the Bahamas that he should be encouraging his own government back in Haiti to assist with the repatriation of all Haitians who are currently illegally residing in the Bahamas. If the Haitian Ambassador and his Haitian government want their people looked after and treated humanely, then they themselves should arrange for this to be done at their own cost. The Bahamian people have done more than enough over the past 40 or so years and it has cost us dearly. It is time for Haiti to step up to the plate and bear the cost of looking after its own people, including the costs of their repatriation. It is an absurdity for this Haitian Ambassador to suggest in any way that we are inhumane when it is the inhumane Haitian government that fails to look after its own people, and constantly seeks handouts from others, like Bahamians, that could never be enough in the eyes of the Haitian government. These illegal immigrants should be seen for who and what they are......a problem caused by Haiti, the costs of which should be borne by Haiti and not the Bahamas! The Haitian government or international human rights groups should be bearing the costs of making life less miserable for these illegal immigrants; it is not in our interest to do so from the stand point of deterrence. To make life easy for them at our cost only means many more will come to our shores illegally, and likely with the Haitian government encouraging them to do so. We need to be very mindful of the fact that our sovereignty and culture as Bahamians is a very fragile one, and our economy is equally fragile and under great stress as it is. We are also now experiencing the effects of over-population given our very limited land area. We must resist caving to accusations from the Haitian government and human rights groups that Bahamians are an inhumane people when such persons, especially the human rights activists, are not willing themselves to bear the true costs of this vexing problem. We Bahamians have done all that can be reasonably expected of us over the last 40 plus years and are our economy is now financially crippled. It high time others started doing their part....starting with the Haitian government and the international human rights groups which have for years unfairly and unjustifiably blamed Bahamians for the plight of the Haitians illegally residing in our country!
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