By FAY SIMMONS

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

An Abaco doctor yesterday argued that the Government-run healthcare system has “failed”, describing the model as “ancient and not working”.

Dr George Charite, owner of Integrated Medical Centre, told the Abaco Business Outlook conference that the Government has failed to provide adequate health services to the island and called for systemic reform and greater involvement by the private sector.

He added that the current healthcare model is outdated and does not meet the needs of Family Island residents, and urged the Government to consider more public-private partnerships (PPPs) to deliver essential services more efficiently.

“The Government has failed us with our medical assistance in Abaco, and not only Abaco, The Bahamas. The Government should be providing universal care to the islands of The Bahamas. It is difficult for the Government alone to do it,” said Dr Charite.

“I encourage you to do private-public partnerships, especially in the medical field. Our model that we have now is ancient and is not working. We should talk to people in the private sector, and I know that there are people who are available to help with the medical problem we have on these islands.”

Dr Charite highlighted the financial burden placed on Abaco residents who are often forced to travel to New Providence for critical diagnostic services such as CT scans. He noted that airlift costs can reach as high as $10,000 per patient — an amount many families cannot afford — while the scan itself would cost just a fraction of that if the service were available locally.

“There’s no reason for a person having to be airlifted to Nassau to do a CT scan. Airlift costs us about $6,000 for that individual. If we have a CT scanner here on the island, it probably costs that individual about $500. It’s taxing for the families,” said Dr Charite.

“Often this happens in the night, and family members have to come up with that $6,000 - up to $10,000 - if it’s in the night. If it’s in the night, if the person goes to the Government clinic, the Government becomes responsible, and that payment is on the Government’s part. If the person goes to a private facility, there’s a problem, because if the person does not have that money, the Government clinic would not accept that person for that person to be airlifted.”

Dr Charite said the current system places an unfair financial burden on residents who choose — or are forced — to seek care at private clinics, as the Government only covers airlift costs for patients referred through public health facilities. In addition to healthcare concerns, the conference also heard complaints about lengthy bureaucratic delays affecting construction and development projects on the island.

Joshua Smith, an employee at the Ministry of Works in Abaco, raised concerns about the backlog of building plans sent to New Providence for approval. He said some residents and developers have been waiting up to nine months for responses on their submissions, causing serious delays in construction.

“Presently, there are a lot of construction drawings, I guess bottlenecked in Nassau, that the people in Abaco need to get out. Is there something that could be done to speed up those processes in Nassau?” he asked.

“Because I could tell you the projects in Wyndham Bay and all over that, people are crying for the for the plans to come back. Then they’re eight, nine months, and they’re ready to move, but it isn’t coming out.”