Nassau, Bahamas (via BIS) –  Public consultations regarding National Health Insurance (NHI) Bahamas were held this week in Eleuthera (Rock Sound, Governor’s Harbour, Spanish Wells and Harbour Island) and in San Salvador, to educate and engage residents about the modern, affordable and accessible healthcare system that NHI aims to deliver for Bahamians.

Damara Dillett and Kathy Smith, representing the NHI Bahamas Secretariat, led the community meeting at Rock Sound Primary School where 41 local residents attended and asked questions about the cost of NHI, the timing of the programme’s implementation and what the programme intended to accomplish for Bahamians. Ms. Dillett and Ms. Smith fielded participants’ questions and spoke about the importance of national health insurance, clarified eligibility requirements and outlined the benefits of primary care.

Meanwhile, Catherine Weech and Charles Hamilton of the NHI Bahamas Secretariat travelled to San Salvador to engage the residents for a community townhall meeting at the Idell Jones Community Centre. The event was attended by 45 residents, whose questions covered a variety of issues, including the preparedness of the system for implementation of NHI in San Salvador, the impact of NHI on private health insurance, access to services on the island, clarity around registration versus enrolment, and NHI tax information.


Residents at the NHI sessions in Governor’s Harbour –  Photo by The Eleutheran 

In Governor’s Harbour, close to 40 residents participated and discussed the current state of the health system in Eleuthera and how NHI will improve health care services on the island. Similarly, two meetings were hosted in Spanish Wells where the majority of questions raised related to how NHI would affect services for local residents. In response to these questions, Ms. Dillett explained that with NHI and capitation, there will be more incentive for health professionals to set up on the Family Islands and to provide better care outside of Nassau.

To wrap up the week, a community meeting was held in Harbour Island where Permanent Secretary Peter Deveaux Isaacs and Dr. Delon Brennen hosted a group of 55 Bahamians including business owners, working class Bahamians, health professionals, pensioners and the unemployed. During the meeting, Dr. Brennon explained what primary care is, clarified how much the program costs and what Bahamians will have to pay, and went over the five phases of NHI’s implementation. 

“As we speak to more and more Bahamians across the country, it is becoming clear that the people want NHI. Comments from Bahamians have been very positive thus far and they are very engaged with this important issue,” said Permanent Secretary Peter Deveaux Isaacs. “The general tone of these discussions has been that NHI can’t come fast enough.”

Community meetings across the Family Islands will continue next week with stops in Cat Island, Long Island, Andros and Berry Islands.

Local residents are encouraged to attend these meetings to become more informed about NHI Bahamas and the benefits of the programme.

More information on NHI Bahamas can be found at www.nhibahamas.gov.bs.