By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement Chairman Michael Pintard said the government’s decision to hire additional foreign experts to make recommendations on National Health Insurance does not indicate good governance.

He called on the government to disclose how many taxpayer dollars will be spent on the venture.

Mr Pintard further said the government should name the firm it intends to contract to dispel any appearance of double-dealing.

The senator further questioned why the government would invite a firm into the country to make recommendations when officials have yet to collect sufficient data in the absence of a properly packaged NHI.

Prime Minister Perry Christie said on Friday that he requested that a group of healthcare experts from “Canada, United Kingdom and the United States” come quickly to The Bahamas to examine his efforts on National Health Insurance.

“The hiring of the foreign firm contrary to what the prime minister has said is no indication of good governance or a good example of him listening to the criticisms or recommendations that have come from various stakeholders,” Mr Pintard said.

“In fact a better example of good governance and responsiveness of the PLP would be the government, the prime minister or his designates meeting with the stakeholders such as medical practitioners, including physicians and the insurance industry as well as members of the private sector and persons who are to be served by the system. He ought to ensure that there is transparent thorough consultation with them. That would be a good example of good governance and responsiveness. Him hiring the foreign firm is not.

“In any event, if the firm is to be brought in, it should only be done after the consultations are complete locally and after they have exhausted the search for Bahamians who have the capacity to carry out the same review as is being proposed to be carried out by the foreign firm.

“Why would you bring in a firm when you haven’t already collected your data or you haven’t already fully packaged your programme so that they can evaluate it to say whether or not based on the data what is presently missing?

“So the point is this independent evaluator is coming in when so much of the ground work hasn’t been done and the collection of primary data has not been completed. The views of the detractors and those that see things differently have not yet been fully submitted and ventilated so again the government is acting prematurely.”

Mr Pintard told The Tribune that Mr Christie should also reveal what he has discovered about NHI that warrants the foreign consultants and also state whether he takes the same position of his colleagues that have castigated health industry stakeholders.

“The public I am sure, because of its great cynicism with this administration, would want to know what firm is this that the government is considering. They ought to name it because certainly people would want to know what was the process used to select them. Is the relationship free and clear of any appearance of double-dealing and who facilitates the introduction?

“What has the prime minister discovered about how he is proceeding now and the nature of the programme that is presently configured that has now influenced him to call for an independent review by a foreign company?

“The manner in which the prime minister and his colleagues have been speaking recently, strongly indicates that they have very little confidence in Bahamian professionals. Several ministers have castigated members of the insurance industry, members of the medical community and members of the private sector and castigated them calling them all manner of names including greedy suggesting that they are unethical and suggesting that they are so conflicted as if Bahamians, notwithstanding what their profession, are not able to give an impartial carefully considered point of view on what is best for an industry.”

After a rough week that saw doctors condemn his government’s handling of NHI, Mr Christie made an emotional plea on Friday for residents and stakeholders to trust him.

Weary of stakeholders’ anxiety, he said he has requested that a group of international healthcare experts give advice on NHI.

The group is separate from the government’s current consultants, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Sanigest Internaçional.