NASSAU, The Bahamas – A former Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Health has underscored a progressive health policy under the present Progressive Liberal Party Government.
Ron Pinder, Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Energy and the Environment, said the Government continues to focus on creating an affordable health care that is non-discriminatory and would enable all Bahamians to receive the same quality and standard of health care, as well as the same access to health care, regardless of their personal wealth or circumstances.
His comments were made on Thursday (December 7) during debate in the House of Assembly on a Bill for an Act to Establish a National Health Insurance Scheme.
Mr. Pinder also echoed the Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Perry Christie, who opened the debate on Wednesday, November 29, that NHI is not a tax.
“I wish to respond to those opposition forces,” said Mr. Pinder, “who seemly have been trying to mislead the Bahamian public by suggesting that National Health Insurance is yet another tax on the backs of Bahamians.
“In fact, based on how these forces have tried to characterize the issue of mandatory contributions to the National Health Insurance Scheme one could get the impression that the governance has been fiscally irresponsible or that this administration has somehow been reckless in our management of the people’s money and now we want the people to pay for it. But, once again, nothing could be further from the truth,” Mr. Pinder said.
Mr. Pinder said that the Government has “deliberately avoided” increasing taxation despite the revenue position throughout its term.
“We have, in fact, held the line and controlled spending. We have been very prudent; and, much more, we have accomplished a significant amount while doing so,” he added.
Citing Bahamasair as an example, Mr. Pinder notred that a $2 million contract was signed last week for salary increases and gratuities while air traffic controllers received a five-year contract in July, 2005, worth some $700,000 for salary increases.
“Further, a $2 million contractual agreement was reached on behalf of public servants, including police and prison officers, for salary increases and gratuities,” he said.
The Parliamentary Secretary emphasized that in the face of all of the “necessary contractual agreements for the hardworking public servants,” the Government deliberately avoided increasing taxation.
Responding to critics that the Government is rushing the National Health Insurance Scheme, Mr. Pinder said the process is not being hurried.
“We are simply building on pre-existing studies, research, analysis and consultations of previous governments,” he said.
He said the implementation of the actual National Health Insurance Scheme “will take at least 12 to 18 months at the very minimum to be completed.
“This will not happen over night,” Mr. Pinder said.
Mr. Pinder also responded to criticism that the Bill is an election ploy.
“When one reviews the facts,” he said, “one would see that this Government “consistently and relentlessly gave focused attention to improving access to health care and ensured the delivery of quality services at both the primary and tertiary care levels.
“Much emphasis has also been placed on building capacity in the system to address current and ever increasing demands for medical services, while implementing strategies to monitor the quality and efficiency of the public health system.”
Mr. Pinder noted that in the 2002-2003 budget, $8.6 million were allotted to the Ministry of Health.
The same ministry was allotted $144.9 million in the 2003-2004 budget, just over $150 million in the 2004-2005 budget, $158.4 million in the 2005-2006 budget, and in the 2006-2007 budget the ministry received $160.5 million.
Mr. Pinder said the monies allocated to the Ministry of Health “will complement” the monies raised from the individual contributions from the Bahamian public to the National Health Insurance Fund.
“In other words, health care services will be financed by both the $235 million which is projected from individual contributions into the proposed scheme and a recurrent budgetary allocation of some $160 million which totals some $400 million,” Mr. Pinder said.
