By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A former health minister yesterday asserted that the Government’s promise of free medicines for 160,000 Bahamians with chronic non-communicable diseases is “surreal” given its struggles to pay existing bills.

Dr Duane Sands, also the Free National Movement’s (FNM) chairman, challenged how much it will cost - and where the Government will find the money to pay - for Dr Michael Darville’s pledge to massively expand by almost four-fold the number of Bahamians receiving free medication.

Speaking as other physicians, talking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that “the Government right now owes us for last month’s National Health Insurance (NHI) services; we haven’t been paid yet”, he suggested that the minister of health and wellness’ House of Assembly presentation was made to “put a chicken in every pot” with a general election now at most 18 months away.

“It is clear that we’re in election season,” Dr Sands told this newspaper. “The minster of health has this proclivity of making promises that he may not be able to keep. I am advised that the Public Hospital Authority’s accounts with large suppliers of pharmaceuticals have been cut-off for non-payment.

“And, if true or not, there is a serious shortage of medications in the public health facilities. How is it you can’t keep medications in stock now but you’re going to increase their availability to 160,000 people? How is it you can claim to be expanding the benefits for NHI when you cannot pay the bills now, and providers cannot be paid on time?

“We owe vendors for dialysis, we owe vendors for garbage collection. It is surreal for the minister to make these promises when the PHA and Ministry of Health are in such a serious cash crunch as it is, and the Government is in such a serious cash crunch when we see them at this massive $395m deficit in six months. That does not even include bills incurred that have not yet been paid.”

Dr Darville, during his mid-year Budget debate presentation last week, said the National Chronic Drug Prescription Plan, which provides free medication to just over 44,000 Bahamians, will be transferred from the National Insurance Board’s (NIB) oversight to that of NHI. And he promised it will be expanded to serve 160,000 Bahamians with chronic non-communicable illnesses - a near four-fold customer jump.

However, Dr Sands said that “every year” there is a challenge associated with funding the National Chronic Drug Prescription Plan. During the first six months of the present 2024-2025 fiscal year, the Davis administration took some $11.057m - more than one-sixth of the $60.275m Budget reserve - to finance the initiative.

“Let’s dissect this a bit more,” the ex-minister added. “The National Chronic Drug Prescription Plan came from an overage of excess funds in a sub-category at NIB. It was collecting monies that had not been used. When the National Chronic Drug Prescription Plan started, it was using monies already collected but there was no new funding source to sustain it.

“Every year the question is where monies are coming from to fund the National Chronic Drug Prescription Plan. If we now have a situation where you say you are going to move those benefits to a different line item, then show us a sustainable funding source to pay for it. You are promising so many things but not providing the level of funding to make it happen.

“It’s left to the institutions to do what they can do. That’s not an effective strategy. You’re telling NHI to introduce catastrophic healthcare services. While I support that, show us where the money is coming from. This administration is unable to connect the dots,” Dr Sands said.

“While I am sure it is a wonderful benefit people deserve, it’s one thing to promise something and one thing to deliver on it and have the ability to pay for it. They [the Government’, quite frankly, have not demonstrated an ability to pay their bills in a timely fashion.”

Dr Sands suggested that the target date for completing renovations to Princess Margaret Hospital’s accident and emergency facility, first January 2025 and now May, kept getting pushed back because the Government was struggling to pay its contractors and vendors. And he added that garbage at Freeport’s Rand Memorial Hospital was “overflowing”.

“Really it’s about pork barrel politicking and nothing more,” the FNM chairman added. Dr Darville last week said the National Chronic Drug Prescription Plan expansion will benefit Bahamians suffering with hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers, renal insufficiency, and mental illness but gave no specifics or timelines while saying details will be provided later.

“Once transferred to NHI, the 160,000-plus registered NHI members who suffer from chronic non-communicable diseases like hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, certain types of cancers, renal insufficiency, mental illness and other illnesses will finally have access to life-saving medications free of charge,” Dr Darville said. “This is a huge initiative by our administration and will change medical outcomes.”

He said the policy would improve medical compliance, save Bahamians thousands of dollars and keep people out of hospitals.

“Under the complete universal primary healthcare package, NHI patients would see the doctors free, get the labs and diagnostics free, and very soon all medications for chronic non-communicable diseases will be provided free of charge for both private and public patients at healthcare facilities across the country that accept NHI,” Dr Darville added.