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Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM |
 Nassau, The Bahamas – In regards to recent concerns raised by the Bahamas Insurance Association (BIA) pertaining to the RFP process for the Public Insurer, the NHI Secretariat would like to reiterate the importance of the timely roll-out of NHI Bahamas.
As it stands, approximately 200,000 Bahamians do not have health insurance. Many of these persons are opting out of visiting the doctor when they feel sick due to concerns around not being able to afford the treatment they need. With NHI Bahamas, these Bahamians in need, and in fact all eligible persons, will be able to get modern, affordable and accessible health care services.
With regards to the RFP process, it should be noted that the deadline for submitting bids was extended twice due to the requests from potential bidders for more time and due to the passing of Hurricane Matthew. Organizations had access to a data room with key documents, FAQs, the ability to submit questions and receive timely answers, and almost three months to prepare responses. Therefore, we believe this was sufficient time to submit proposals. Interested parties had from August 22nd to November 21st to complete their bids.
To this end, we received three proposals from local and international companies. The RFP review committee met last week and has begun to review proposals. The committee will evaluate and eventually select the preferred bidder as quickly as possible for Cabinet consideration.
Any further delay of the deadline for bid submission could impact our implementation timelines and cause potential delays for the upcoming enrolment phase of NHI Bahamas, and subsequent roll-out of Primary Care services. This means Bahamians in need would have to wait longer before they can start to receive essential health care services.
The NHI Secretariat will continue to work closely with our public and private sector stakeholders as we move forward with the implementation of NHI Bahamas.
Furthermore, the NHI Secretariat will be holding a press conference next month to give a comprehensive update on progress and timelines.
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