photos by Shawn in iQue

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

OVER 100 unemployed Bahamians have been temporary employed by the National Insurance Board (NIB) to assist in the agency's upcoming "enhanced" registration campaign for National Health Insurance (NHI), Board officials said on Friday. 

NIB officials said the agency has secured the services of approximately 135 temporary employees so it can better accommodate the registrations of an estimated 215,000 persons nationwide currently not in possession of the new NIB smart card, which will be used as the primary tool for identifying people that are eligible for NHI services. 

Officials said the temporary employees, after successfully completing "rigorous training" from NIB officials, will be able to work at the various registration centres to be established in New Providence, Grand Bahama and the Family Islands. An additional 21 people will be temporarily employed to work at registration outlets in Grand Bahama.

NIB is the government agency that will facilitate the entire registration process for NHI. NIB has been asked to complete the entire registration exercise within "the next four to five months," officials said. 

To better facilitate the registration process, officials said six registration outlets will be established in New Providence, citing those at the JL Centre on Blake Road, the South Beach Shopping Plaza, the Town Centre Mall, the Cotton Tree Plaza in Fox Hill, and St Barnabas Church on Wulff and Blue Hill Roads. 

Officials have also said that 10 mobile units will be deployed throughout New Providence to assist the business community as well as government ministries where the number of employees exceeds 100. Those mobile units will also be responsible for visiting schools throughout New Providence. 

Two mobile units will also be stationed in Grand Bahama to conduct on-site visits to businesses and organisations with a staff complement of at least 50 to conduct the registration process at the island's schools, officials said. Two registration centres will also be opened on Grand Bahama along with a site at the Freeport local office complex and the Eight Mile Rock local office. 

As for the Family Islands, the local NIB offices on each island will be used for the registration of all persons including students. Mobile units will be sent to the Berry Islands, Grand Cay, Rum Cay and Ragged Island on "specific dates", officials have said. 

According to officials, there are approximately 163,000 persons in New Providence not in possession of an NIB smart card, 25,000 in Grand Bahama and an additional 26,000 throughout the remaining Family Islands.

NHI will be phased in over a five-year period, officials have said. The government had previously said that NHI will be introduced on January 1, with the first phase to encompass registration and improvements to public health infrastructure. 

According to officials, the plan's primary healthcare package will be rolled out in April.