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NHI eliminating 90-day wait for patients to join t "OE FOEJOH DBQ PO OFX QSPWJEFS GSPN UPEBZ t &Y IFBMUI NJOJTUFS *U T AEBNO UIF UPSQFEPT t &YQBOEJOH EFTQJUF ACMPXJOH IPMF JO CVEHFU By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE National Health Insurance (NHI) Authority will today eliminate restrictions on Bahamians enrolling in the scheme in a move branded as “damn the torpedos” by an exhealth minister. Dr Duane Sands, the Opposition’s chairman, speaking out as the Authority removes the extra 90-day wait persons must endure before they can join NHI, challenged how the Governmentfunded healthcare scheme will be able to “pay for” the increased patients - and associated higher costs when it was unable to stay within its $46.2m budget for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. Describing the NHI Authority’s announcement of the changes as “a fascinating missive”, he argued that ending this curb - as well as eliminating the current cap on the number of doctors and other medical professionals providing services to the scheme on New Providence - “makes absolutely no sense financially”. And Dr Sands, who was minister of health under
the Minnis administration, told this newspaper that it appeared the Government has decided “blowing a hole in the Public Treasury” is its route to securing general election success given NHI’s need for extra taxpayer funding to pay its bills prior to yesterday’s 2024-2025 fiscal year-end close. However, Dr Michael Darville, minister of health and wellness, told Tribune Business that “for the first time since its inception NHI is bringing the public [sector] clinics on” as a way for the Government to retain some of its expenditure. The revenues the clinics will earn from providing laboratory and diagnostic services to NHI patients, he explained, will now be retained by the Government. And, as a result, the minister asserted that these monies will be reinvested in further upgrading the Department of Public Health’s clinics as well as financing the enrollment of more Bahamians to NHI and the scheme’s expansion. This, Dr Darville explained, will ensure NHI
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THE Central Bank yesterday confirmed that the Bahamian economy’s growth rate “moderated”
DR DUANE SANDS
NHI no longer ‘skewed’ towards private sector By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net A CABINET minister last night revealed that incorporating the public clinics into National Health Insurance (NHI) will ensure the scheme’s sustainability by enabling the Government to retain some expenditure. Dr Michael Darville, minister of health and wellness, told Tribune Business
that using the Department of Public Health’s clinics to provide laboratory and diagnostics services to NHI patients will enable them to generate revenue income that will be deposited into the Government’s consolidated fund. And, instead of being used to cover the Government’s other expenses, he pledged that this revenue will instead be reinvested in upgrading The Bahamas’ public health clinics,
expanding NHI and enrolling more Bahamians in the scheme to ensure better healthcare outcomes. Disclosing that this is “the first time” the public healthcare system is becoming involved with, and integrated into, NHI, Dr Darville told this newspaper the move will ensure the Governmentrun network is no longer “left behind” and that the
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‘Hard to believe no one thought this out better’ By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE Association of Bahamas Marinas (ABM) chief yesterday voiced concern that key boating reforms cannot be accessed and paid online, adding: “It’s hard to believe they could mess it up this bad.” Peter Maury, speaking after an Internet call between Customs and
the Bahamian maritime industry to discuss implementation of the Customs Management (Amendment) Regulations 2025, which are due to take effect today, told Tribune Business that neither the new frequent digital cruising card, nor the fishing permit and anchorage fees, are presently accessible or can be paid for online. Suggesting that the reforms will likely be “a little confusing” for visiting
Bahamas growth ‘moderates as LPIA departures off 2.3% By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
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in May with total departures from the country’s main aviation gateway down 2.3 percent for 2025 to-date. The banking sector regulator, unveiling its report on May’s economic developments, again blamed “capacity constraints” - meaning a shortage of hotel rooms and other stopover accommodation - for the “slower pace” of year-over-year tourism arrivals despite concerns this may also be linked to reduced demand and global economic and political uncertainties. In particular, the Central Bank noted that total and US departures through Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA), the primary point of entry for stopover visitors, were down yearover-year for both May and the first five months of 2025. “Preliminary indications are that the domestic economy’s pace of growth moderated during May 2025, relative to the same period last year, as performance continued to move closer to their expected medium-term potential. Tourism inflows, although
at healthy levels, rose at a slower pace, owing to capacity constraints in the high value-added stopover category, albeit the cruise sector remained buoyant,” it added. “Initial data indicated that, during the review month, tourism sector earnings slowed as activity in the stopover segment remained constrained by accommodation capacity. However, the cruise segment maintained its healthy pace of growth. “Preliminary data from the Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD) revealed that total departures - net of domestic passengers declined by 3.2 percent to 133,397 in May relative to the same 2024 period. Underlying this outcome, US departures fell by 3.7 percent to 113,984, and non-US international departures by 0.6 percent to 19,413 vis-à- vis the corresponding period last year,” the Central Bank said. “On a year-to-date basis, total outbound traffic decreased by 2.3 percent to 700,000.
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PETER MAURY boats and yachts, he added that besides not yet being available on Customs Click2Clear website all three of the new permits and fees have to be paid for separately through visiting one of the Department’s offices. The ABM chief told this newspaper that the reforms, and how they are being introduced at short notice and with no industry
DR MICHAEL DARVILLE
t .BSJOB DIJFG /FX QFSNJUT OPU ZFU POMJOF t #PBUJOH DIBOHFT JO FGGFDU UPEBZ ADPOGVTJOH t 8BSOT JU XJMM AGSVTUSBUF DPTU TFDUPS CVTJOFTT consultation, appeared “designed to frustrate people” and drive a lucrative, high-spending market away from The Bahamas to visit other destinations. And he reiterated previous projections that this nation
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Briland resorts struggling to control BPL ‘narrative’ By ANNELIA NIXON Tribune Business Reporter anixon@tribunemedia.net HARBOUR Island resorts yesterday said they are “trying to control the narrative as best as possible with our guests” after the popular tourism destination was hit by more power outages. Henry Rolle, managing partner of The Rock House, said Bahamas Power & Light’s woes have become progressively worse since “at least since May”, resulting in one of the resort’s generators going out of service. “It’s bad,” Mr Rolle said. “It’s very bad. We’re lucky we have a generator. But the thing is, we actually had two. The first one got blown because of the issues. The thing is the power plant here, depending on the time of day, the voltage is never even on the island. “So our property received high voltage and low voltage. So it would fluctuate between at least
five times a minute. And then there was this big surge that came through that just blew out our alternator for the main generator. That’s the generator, plus the transfer switch, plus the labour. That was about a $50,000 expense.” Mr Rolle said he was also given a number and an e-mail to report the damage but added: “Honestly, in terms of what they’re offering, it doesn’t come close to helping.” Lee Prosenjak, Valentine’s Resort and Marina’s managing director, said: “I won’t hold my breath until I get reimbursed” regarding two bar refrigerators the resort has lost due to the outages and brownouts. He said he is currently keeping refreshments cool with the use of coolers. “There’s a form to fill out when stuff happens that they give us a link to,” Mr Prosenjak said. “But I won’t hold my breath until I get reimbursed. The refrigeration equipment itself is $6,000; well, each of them. So it’s about $10,000 worth
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