Dr. Sands,

Your argument does not hold water.
Health care is a human right.
You are asking the Bahamian people to suffer the effects of even further reductions in health care because of fiscal malfeasance, corruption and graft. Our health clinic in Andros is in a sub standard building, we have no doctor, reduced medicines. Blame the last administration if you want, but you and Minnis could see to it that basic human principals ruled. You two haven't, and doctors both. How sad.
No, we are in the state we are in because like all the rest of the politicians, you kowtow to the money men.
You could declare that before any other expenditure in this country, whether Carnival, Junkanoo, having governmental "entourages" flying all over the world, paying the thousands of Inland Revenue employees, you would, first and foremost put the health needs of Bahamians above all else.
We have no leaders to speak of in this country.
This, is a perfect example.
Health care is about human decency.
And you can't even work up the brain power and moral courage to stand tall.
Ugggg.

Stop being so political. The PHA under successive governments have been operating at a loss. It's time to stop the hemorrhaging and make people pay for some of these services so that we can at least provide minimal standards of care.

Carry on Dr. Sands and the PHA. Review those fees and be sure to put measures in place that will force the public to pay. You can't do that in the US, if its not a life or death situation, you will pay for those services.

How else do you people expect health care to be provided!

How much do you pay for police services?
Or, how about fire department services?
It is a matter of priorities.
I don't say don't charge anything.
But, at least provide decent service.
It ain't happening now.
You been to the wards in PMH lately?
I have. It ain't pretty.
Everything is political.

When will Sands be shuffled to some place like Road Traffic or Monuments and Antiquities?

Our public healthcare system was doomed by our illegal immigrant problem...mainly of the Haitian kind....and stands no chance of ever becoming functional again unless and until that problem is addressed. QC Smith will be the first to file a legal action if impoverished illegal immigrants are denied basic healthcare services for financial reasons. But Sands, like all of our politicians, refuses to forthrightly address the real causes of our failed public healthcare system, specifically illegal immigrants, and graft and corruption by doctors, by medical supply and equipment providers, and of course by our corrupt politicians and senior officials within the public healthcare sector.

> “If someone has an insurance policy they go into Doctors Hospital and pay $2,000 a night. You go to PMH and pay nothing if you’re a civil servant, but it’s only $200 a night. That makes absolutely no sense; same bed, same service.”

Does Sands really believe the hogwash he espouses in comparing PMH and Doctors Hospital - "same bed, same service"....really? I suppose he will next say "same nurse, same service" or "same doctor, same service." But of course we all know that if Sands or Minnis, or any other cabinet minister for that matter, should become seriously ill, they would be on a plane to a hospital in the U.S. in a heart beat.

Sands suggests many civil servants have been receiving free healthcare services from PMH under a cost-exemption benefit granted to them by government even though the government has been paying $75 million a year to private insurers for these same civil servants to have generous healthcare benefits. It seems certain private health insurers have been laughing all the way to the bank, receiving healthcare premiums without having to pay out claims because insured civil servants had the cost-exemption benefit granted by government (the PHA) for healthcare received at PMH. Why doesn't Sands name the private Insurer(s) that have been ripping us off because of the government's asinine cost-exemption policy for civil servants who have private healthcare insurance paid for by the taxpayers?!

There's much too much other foolishness here to even bother commenting on. Both Sands and Minnis have spent years practicing medicine in the Bahamas and each has enjoyed professional affiliations with PMH. Minnis was even Minister of Health under the last Ingraham-led administration. These two doctors (Sands and Minnis) have known for decades about all of these problems but neither did a darn thing towards fixing them during their professional years. And now, as politicians, we can only expect them to give our healthcare crisis lip service rather tackle the root of the problem - illegal immigrants burdening a system to its death. Our public healthcare system is dying much like our general postal system has died. Truly sad.

Either they have known and are just spewing political rhetoric for our supposed benefit or they are truly dim-witted. (Not sure how competent doctors could be dim-witted, but there you are!)

Present side accusing past of collecting 2.5 billion in VAT since 2015...an now not only anodder 2.5 billion plus will be collected but on top 5% added more to 7.5%....plenty wrongs found in Road Traffic money by AuditorGeneral.an odder places....an pore people have to pays fer slackness odder people doing.....but Pore people gon feels it more as vat is consumption tax...more pore people dan rich people....if yinna knows pore people like pore people know pore people....jus gone mean more pore people gon not be able to afford medical servoces an suffer...be in pain....blood pressure....more stress...disease....blind...die...

"Dr Sands said Bahamian taxpayers, via the Government, paid $75 million annually to ensure politicians, civil servants and the security services enjoy medical insurance cover. “It would seem to make sense that it would be the PHA benefiting from that,” he added."
YOU WOULD THINK! Government it tied by the umbilical cord to its civil servants.

On the other hand, we seem unable, or unwilling, to put healthy fresh foods and whole grains in the Bahamas bread basket, but continue to be of the opinion that condensed milk, corned beef and mayonnaise are healthy foods. Never could figure out the mustard LOL! Maybe it lucked out because it is spread with mayonnaise on white bread!

Most of us would not bother with the tedious task of filing healthcare claims and then having to following up on their payment if we didn't have to do so in order to get exactly the same healthcare services free of charge and without any paperwork on our part. I can just hear most civil servants saying: "Child, why I gonna fill out and file all d'em claim papers and have to deal with all d'em confusing insurance people when I gonna get da same treatment at PMH anyhow under ma generous civil servant cost-exemption benefit?" Can't say I blame the civil servants for taking the path with the least amount of paperwork and headaches. This ridiculous situation really speaks much more to the outright stupidity of our politicians, both past and present.

The new slogan for the Island of the Bahamas should be "Pay More Get Less" this country is looking worse by the day. Soon people won't be able to afford corned beef.

12% VAT and now this?? What next. Roc wit doc must need lots of money
for his and others like him travel expenses, All should pray to God for good
health unless many will die.

Maybe Dr Sands would like to look into nurses (usually senior) selling medication,using two sets of books, charging but refusing to give reciepts,taking a slice of emergency flight charges and on and on..And when caught prosecute don' just move them.