The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

NINETY-FIVE percent of National Health Insurance beneficiaries are satisfied with their experience with the programme, according to the National Health Insurance Authority.

The NHIA said it conducted a survey in which 57 percent of respondents were “very satisfied” with their experience and 38 percent were “satisfied” with it.

The survey featured 5,122 respondents and took place this year between July and November, the NHIA said.

The NHIA also said 57.96 percent of respondents said the quality of service they received was “very good” while 38.48 percent said it was “good”.

“When asked how long it took to get an appointment with their NHI doctor, over 95 percent of beneficiaries responded there was ‘no appointment required’ (47.22 percent) or ‘1-7 days’ (48.59 percent). When asked to rate the NHI doctor’s office/facility in which they received care, the majority of beneficiaries responded, ‘very good’ (52.6 percent) or ‘good’ (43.4 percent).”

Dr Robin Roberts, chairman of the NHIA Board, said: “As we take steps to improve NHI Bahamas, it is encouraging to see that so many Bahamians have already had positive experiences with the programme so far. The positive feedback collected from the patient satisfaction survey is testament to the good work NHI providers are doing to provide quality, affordable care to their patients. With the expansion of primary care services and the implementation of high cost care treatments for certain prevalent diseases, we expect even more Bahamians will be able to experience the benefits of the NHI programme.”

Last month, the NHIA launched a consultation period with stakeholders and the public as it seeks expand the programme’s benefits. After several town hall meetings in Grand Bahama, the NHIA will hold a meeting in New Providence next Wednesday at 5.30pm at Holy Cross Parish Hall.