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Last Updated: Apr 8, 2017 - 8:32:00 PM |
Nassau, The Bahamas – The NHI Secretariat wishes to correct the facts around the number of eligible Primary Care Providers in The Bahamas and the establishment of the NHI Authority (NHIA).
There is a claim that providers who have signed on for NHI Bahamas represent less than 10% of doctors on the medical register. Only Primary Care Providers have been invited to register to provide services under NHI Bahamas. There are currently 306 eligible Primary Care Providers in The Bahamas from both the public and private sectors. Over 60 physicians in the private sector have applied with NHI Bahamas, and this number will be further augmented by Primary Care Providers in the public sector, across the country, from the Department of Public Health and Public Hospitals Authority.
As the Act has come into force, the Secretariat expects the list of private sector Primary Care Providers to grow, with providers looking forward to providing health care services to Bahamians. The Secretariat continues to accept applications, even as round one of registration has closed.
Furthermore, the Secretariat wishes to correct the claim that the NHI Authority has been created as a merger of the Department of Public Health (DPH) and Public Hospitals Authority (PHA). The NHIA is an organization established by the NHI Act of 2016 which came into force on April 5, 2017, independently of the aforementioned agencies. The Department of Public Health and Public Hospitals Authority continue to operate individually, under the Ministry of Health. To note, the amalgamation of the DPH and PHA into the Bahamas Health Services Authority is proposed under draft legislation, in order to facilitate better access to health care services and quality of care for Bahamians in the public health sector.
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