By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas is not getting sufficient value from the money pumped into the health care system, consultants from Sanigest Internacional have concluded, as they revealed that the country’s life expectancy is lower than other countries that spend less on the sector.

A report prepared by the Costa Rican accounting firm said health spending as a percentage of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) nearly doubled in just over a decade, from 4.9 per cent in 2001 to 9.7 per cent in 2013. Comparatively, Turkey was spending 4.9 per cent of its GDP on health in 2001 and had a female life expectancy (FLE) of 71.7 years while The Bahamas’ FLE at the time was 76.8.

A little more than a decade later, Turkey’s health spending has only risen to 6.1 per cent of its GDP but its FLE has increased to 76. However, here at home, the FLE has “remained stagnant at 76.8”, the report notes.

“If further international comparisons are made, Finland and Italy spend 9.1 per cent and 9.2 per cent of GDP on health (ie, less than The Bahamas) yet Finland’s FLE is 83.8 and Italy’s is 85.3. These are additional clear indications that The Bahamas is not receiving the value for money it needs to be from its health system,” the report adds.

“Indeed, while many factors affect life expectancy, including environmental factors, education, diet, exercise patterns, and genetics…The Bahamas’ life expectancy (75 years) is lower than would be expected given its health spending.”

The consultants found that although Bahamian society “faced a turbulent financial period during the recent global economic crisis, public and private expenditure on health has increased steadily.”

However, the report found that The Bahamas’ health expenditure could be manipulated to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness.

“Given the health outcomes The Bahamas is achieving, it appears there is room for manipulation of the financial flows to achieve higher efficiency and effectiveness of spending,” the report, which was turned over to the government last October, says.

Sanigest Internacional also notes that more than one third of Bahamians currently have “some form of private health insurance coverage.”

The consultants found that this is unique among countries moving toward implementing universal health care.

However, the report notes that the most vulnerable people in the Bahamian society – children and the elderly – were the least likely to have access to health insurance.

The consultants estimate that about 114,517 people in the country are covered by private health insurance policies. This number excludes those covered by union-run insurance plans.

The report was prepared to assess the feasibility of National Health Insurance and provide costing estimates to the government.

The government intends to implement NHI in January 2016.