According to this Nassau Guardian article by Chester Robards, Dr. Sands explained that NHI should ensure: “...all people have access to needed promotive, preventative, curative and rehabilitative health services of sufficient quality to be effective, while also ensuring that people do not suffer financial hardship and pain for these services, ...”
Some other points of interest raised by Minster Sands were:
a. The Bahamas has a unique health profile so local research should inform decisions.
b. The physical plant has not been upgraded in a lot of instances.
c. Inefficiency, waste and abuse have not been effectively dealt with.
d. Record keeping is outmoded and information management systems are obsolete.
e. "People who have at best not provided value to our healthcare system and, at worst, are guilty of extorting limited funds from the national coffers by inadequate productivity or unreasonable charges...” have not been dealt with.
Looks more and more like the former government was foisting a farce on the taxpayer in the guise of "helping" people.
Now the test comes on managing expectations of what might have been as opposed to what the country can afford and is capable of in the present circumstances.
Should be an interesting process in the weeks, months and years ahead.
