The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

The Government may seek to discontinue hazard pay or ‘risk allowance’ for public sector employees once National Health Insurance (NHI) is introduced, the Bahamas Public Service Union’s (BPSU) president  said yesterday.

“It is the intention of the Government that once  NHI kicks in to do away with that. That’s what I’m hearing the Government wishes to do,” said John Pinder yesterday.

He was addressing the Bahamas Insurance Brokers Association’s (BIBA) annual market education seminar on NHI yesterday. Mr Pinder explained that public  service workers working in areas considered high risk receive, on average, $200 per month as hazard pay, with the maximum being $260 in extreme cases.

   He told Tribune Business that eliminating hazard pay would only be practical if NHI would provide employees with a comprehensive health coverage package.

“We don’t want the people to have less favourable coverage than they have now. They now enjoy comprehensive coverage, where they are able to use their hazard pay or risk allowance to assist them in getting the kind of coverage they need,” said Mr Pinder.

“We expect for that to remain. However, once they have a universal plan in place, if we can negotiate the fact that maybe these persons still are at a disadvantage compared to normal citizens, it may have to remain.”

    Mr Pinder added that the Government must also focus on health and wellness initiatives under NHI, in order to reduce the demand for healthcare services.

“We recognise that a wellness programme needs to complement what the Government is trying to do,” he said. “Our focus is on ensuring that the Government recognises the importance of persons having access to exercise equipment, various parks for walking and exercise purposes, and that sort of thing. We would also like them to ban certain food products that we know are harmful to consume.”

Mr Pinder added: “In my view, the Government needs to discourage persons from eating unhealthy by reducing the import tax on healthy food and increasing it on unhealthy foods.

“I think it could prevent persons from getting sick if you can keep them healthy. If they eat good and exercise they can be healthier.”