THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2016
business@tribunemedia.net
Lottery funded NHI “a great opportunity” says MAB president By NATARIO McKENZIE
Tribune Business Reporter
nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net THE establishment of a national lottery could be a way of funding National Health Insurance (NHI), according to Medical Association of The Bahamas (MAB) President Dr Sy Pierre. “Funding is obviously a concern. The question has always been where is the funding coming from. The only thing I can see that may be palatable is a national lottery. You don’t want NHI to be the tax that broke the camel’s back,” said Dr Pierre. He added: “This possibly would have been a great opportunity for a national lottery. A national lottery strictly for health care would have been a good thing. Also there are tobacco products, alcohol and things that contribute to poor outcomes in health that could also be looked
Pierre: National scheme for health care “a good thing” at.” The NHI policy paper states that the primary care stage of NHI implementation will cost the Government approximately $100m annually. It is proposed that an additional $24m a year will be reserved for coverage of selected high-cost specialised care. It remains unclear how the scheme will be funded when it expands in scope, although Health Minister Dr Perry Gomez recently noted that other countries have taxed “unhealthy substances” like alcohol and tobacco as well as high salt and high sugar products to fund healthcare. The government spends about $400m annually on “all aspects of healthcare in the country”.
D’Aguilar: Govt “living in a dream world” over Bahamian contractor payout By NATARIO McKENZIE
Tribune Business Reporter
nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net THe Government is “living in a dream world” if it believes that Bahamian contractors will be paid the $74m owed collectively for work carried out on the $3.5 billion Baha Mar development, a former Baha Mar director said yesterday, asserting that “no buyer” except the original developer is interested in seeing them paid. Dionsio D’Aguilar told Tribune Business that the Christie administration’s promises to ensure that Bahamian contractors receive payment for work carried out on the project amounted to very little. “If they think Bahamian contractors are going to be paid that $80 million because the Chinese feel that it is a good thing to do and they feel in their heart that it is right thing to do then the government is living in a dream world,” said Mr D’Aguilar. “They can say all they want about how those contractors are going to be paid and that they are going to make sure that they get paid but that doesn’t mean a thing. There is no buyer of Baha Mar that is remotely interested in taking care of Bahamians except Sarkis Izmirlian but they blew him out of the water,” added Mr D’Aguilar. Prime Minister Perry Christie has repeated promises that Bahamian contractors will be paid for Baha Mar work. The Government has frequently touted the ‘framework agreement’ between itself, China Construction America and the China Export-Import Bank
Dionisio D’Aguilar for Baha Mar’s construction restarting as showing evidence of a Chinese commitment to make Bahamian contractors whole. Mr Christie, speaking during an interview on Kiss FM with radio personality Ed Fields, last month confirmed that the China Export-Import See pg b6
$3.85 $3.89 $3.89
$3.89
MAB president: IPA should not be mandatory By NATARIO McKENZIE
Tribune Business Reporter
nmckenzie@tribnemedia.net
MEDICAL Association of The Bahamas (MAB) President Dr Sy Pierre says that his organisation is not opposed to any physician or group of physicians seeking to form an Independent Provider Association (IPA), stressing however that IPA “should not be mandatory”. He also noted that MAB
Association concerned over ‘virtual monopoly’ Pierre calls for fair pay for NHI patient care Questions BIPA’s ‘special privilege’ to bypass process
members are concerned over the potential impact on Bahamian physicians if the private, for-profit healthcare facilities form a virtual monopoly - by way of an IPA - on the provision of private and possibly public healthcare. Dr Pierre told Tribune Business yesterday: “The Medical Association’s position is that any physician or group of physicians that want to form an IPA, they should have that right to
form that. However to say that we need it or mandate an IPA to negotiate with the Government on behalf of all physicians then I have a problem with that. As physicians I think obviously everyone want to maximise their earning ability but as physicians our primary concern should be our patients, being the best doctors we can be and getting fair remuneration for our services. See pg b7
BPL ‘making good progress’ on North Eleuthera service improvement By NATARIO McKENZIE
Tribune Business Reporter
nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net BAHAMAS Power and Light Company Limited (BPL) said yesterday that it is “making good progress” on its commitment to improve electricity service in North Eleuthera and Harbour Island, stating that it expects “major improvement” in service in reliability before the end of September. As reported by Tribune Business, due to power outages and repeated power surges, resort operators on Harbour Island have expressed serious concerns over “major” equipment damage as well as damage to the island’s reputation
Contract signed for 6 megawatts of generation at Harbour Island Major reliability improvement before the end of September as a tourist destination. In a statement responding to Tribune Business inquiries, Arnette Ingraham, BPL’s Corporate Communications, acknowledged that customers in North Eleuthera and Harbour Island have experienced bouts of supply interruptions over
time, due primarily to the need for major network improvements in the transmission of power from the Hatchet Bay Power Station (HBPS) to North Eleuthera and Harbour Island. “BPL believes that by providing new generation for Harbour Island this will significantly improve reliability on the island while also allowing for infrastructural upgrades on the transmission network out of HBPS. In the long term, adequate generation on Harbour Island as well an upgraded supply out of HBPS will provide greater energy security to the area,” the statement read. It further noted: “A contract was signed two weeks ago to provide 6 megawatts
of generation at the Harbour Island Power Station. Work has already commenced at the site and BPL expects the engines to be operational well before the island’s busy winter season.” BPL continues to ask for patience from its customers in North Eleuthera and Harbour Island as necessary maintenance along with existing system abnormalities may cause periods of supply interruption until the generator units are operable. “The company is committed to ensuring that it communicates planned outages in advance and keeps residents informed when experiencing challenges. BPL expects major improvement in reliability on Eleuthera before the end of September, 2016.”