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Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM |
 (BIA Statement) Sanigest Internacionale, a company that most Bahamians have never heard of, has been described as the architect of our proposed National Health Insurance scheme, and lately has been commenting to the press on the scheme's implementation.
By responding to Sanigest's recent public comments, the Bahamas Insurance Association (BIA) does not want to unjustifiably attribute their statements to the government. However, we note that Sanigest was engaged by the Ministry of Health, and there haas been no effort to distance the government from the company's provocative and divisive comments.
The BIA calls on the Ministry of Health to clearly state its position on the comments of its consultants. Specifically, do Sanigest’s comments represent the views of the Minister of Health and his Permanent Secretary? Is Sanigest authorised to speak for the Minster of Health? Or is this a case of a rogue consultant acting independently without clearance from its employers?
We note that it is highly unorthodox for a third party consultant to engage stakeholders in the manner in which Sanigest has done in recent times. In fact, it is unacceptable, inappropriate and disrespectful for a consultant to publicly scold the Bahamian insurance industry and the many hardworking professionals employed by that industry.
All correspondence from the BIA on this matter has been addressed to the government through the appropriate officials, agencies and committees. It follows therefore that any response should emanate from those sources.
The BIA has expressed its support for universal healthcare and is committed to engaging in meaningful discussions with the government to achieve that goal.
As the government's technical adviser, Sanigest may be able to play a meaningful role in our journey towards universal health coverage. But their recent role of attacking the health insurance industry makes it far more difficult to achieve the meaningful consultation that the prime minister envisages.
While we await a timely response from the Ministry of Health addressing our concerns, we are once again appealing to the prime minister to bring some order and structure to the debate, so that we can design an appropriate model of universal health coverage for The Bahamas.
At present, it remains unclear who is responsible for what in the implementation of these momentous changes in The Bahamas.
Specifically, who is ultimately responsible for the universal health care system? What are the roles of the Minister of Health, the Minister of National Insurance and Labour, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, the Chief Medical Officer and his deputy, the National Insurance Board, the so-called NHI Elite Team, the Canadian consultants engaged by the government and Sanigest Internationale?
When will the chief executive officer referenced by the prime minister be appointed to oversee the implementation of National Health Insurance? When will the new governance structure which promises meaningful consultation and includes private sector stakeholders be established?
The BIA and the Bahamian public deserve answers to these important questions.
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