The Tribune

EIGHT organisations have signed on to a proposed Independent Provider Association, Dr Conville Brown said in a statement yesterday in response to criticism from the Medical Association of the Bahamas.

In his statement, Dr Brown said he was “somewhat surprised by the tone” of MAB President Dr Sy Coolidge Pierre’s response to a press release issued on Thursday about the matter.

“For the simple record, several leaders of the main physician provider organisations were invited to meet on the independent provider association structure as a tool for facilitating the implementation of National Health Insurance in the Bahamas,” Dr Brown said. “You (Dr Pierre) were one of the invitees and did attend. You subsequently indicated a non-willingness to sign on to said model as ‘The Medical Association of the Bahamas was just an advocacy group,’ and same was fully respected, as was the case for the Bahamas Association of Primary Care Physicians and Bahamas Doctors Union.”

Dr Brown said of the 11 major organisations invited, eight signed on to the initiative on Friday, July 8. These include the Consultant Physicians Staff Associations in Nassau and Freeport; the Grand Bahama Medical & Dental Association; Care Bahamas; Physicians Alliance Ltd; Doctors Hospital; The Sunrise Medical Centre-Hospital Complex and The Medical Pavilion Bahamas.

Dr Brown said the Medical Association of the Bahamas; the Bahamas Association of Primary Care Physicians and the Bahamas Doctors Union declined.

“An audience was sought with Prime Minister Perry Christie to inform of our group’s desire to have said model considered as a possible facilitator of implementation of National Health Insurance.

“The prime minister was provided with the signatory list on Saturday, July 9, 2016. He was also advised that of the major physician groups, three had declined to sign on at that stage.”

Dr Brown added that it was always proposed that a Bahamas Independent Provider Association (BIPA) be a 100 per cent Bahamian-owned company incorporated in the Bahamas as a non-profit organisation.

He added that BIPA would be able to represent all stakeholders in healthcare, including physicians, unions, insurance companies, nursing, pharmacists, etc, and indeed any special interest groups in relation to healthcare provision.

On Sunday, Dr Pierre released a statement which said no major healthcare provider or stakeholders had signed onto any IPA.