By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

The Opposition’s newly-appointed Senate leader yesterday questioned whether the Bahamas can afford National Health Insurance (NHI) following its downgrade to ‘junk’ status, urging the Government to reveal its “end game plan” for the scheme.

Branville McCartney, who made his first contribution in the Senate yesterday, said: “While it is understood that NHI is vital to our country and is a necessity for our people, the question remains what is the end game plan for NHI? Where do we stand on that?

“This has been spoken of since 2002 when it was first introduced, and we don’t have an answer as to the end game of NHI. The bottom line is the majority of the facilities are not up to scratch. The majority of the facilities that would be used under this plan are not operational even today, so what is the end game plan?”

Mr McCartney questioned how much NHI will cost, and how it will be funded, implying that these questions had assumed extra importance following Standard & Poor’s (S&P) decision to drop the Bahamas below ‘investment grade’.

“We must be careful if we don’t know how much this plan is going to cost. We cannot afford a plan with no end game, especially in light of this recent downgrade,” said Mr McCartney.

“We are in dangerous times economically. This current situation shows that this administration does not have the tools to address our economic problems.”

The Democratic National Alliance’s (DNA) leader urged the Christie administration to commit to true fiscal consolidation and “a reversal of out of control spending”.

Mr McCartney, whose family owns Wilmac Pharmacies, said the National Prescription Drug Plan’s agreement with local pharmacies , introduced under the Ingraham administration, has been altered, resulting in some pharmacies dropping the plan altogether.

“There was an agreement between the Government and pharmacies to purchase drugs for persons who were on the drug plan,” he added.

“Pharmacies would purchase drugs in advance, and the Government, in a certain period of days, would reimburse them. Persons who were on the plan would come to the pharmacies and get their drugs for free.

“Over the past few years, the end game in that regard has changed. The agreement was changed. The type of drugs purchased or initially required changed from the branded drugs to the generic drugs without or with very little notice to the pharmacies.”

Mr McCartney said that while the  generic drugs were less expensive, the move has cost pharmacies “thousands and thousands” of dollars as a result of having stocked up on branded drugs, only to be unable to distribute them.

“The change of the end game unilaterally has caused tremendous damages to businesses. There are some now who do not carry the National Drug Plan anymore. That has become an inconvenience to many persons,” he said.

Attorney GeneralAllyson Maynard Gibson, addressing Mr McCartney’s remarks, said the matter had been discussed with the pharmacies, adding that Bahamian and foreign experts had found wastage in the system, and that pharmacies both locally and abroad routinely carry generic drugs.