Health minister launches program to improve primary care
The Bahamas has placed a high priority on developing a world-class health-care system and has an excellent track record in public health. It is implementing the latest technologies and many local health-care professionals receive training abroad, particularly in the United States. Local institutions have formed productive partnerships with American hospitals and other enterprises.
The Hon. Hubert A. Minnis, Minister of Health
The health-care sector is overseen by the Ministry of Health, which has direct responsibility for developing and implementing a national health policy, regulating public and private health services, and managing funding of public-sector health services. The Bahamas National Health Insurance and private insurance firms provide coverage.
Within the Ministry of Health is the Department of Public Health, while the Public Hospitals Authority oversees Princess Margaret Hospital (the country’s leading public hospital), Sandilands Rehabilitation Center, and Grand Bahama Health Services, including Rand Memorial Hospital.
The ministry is headed by the Minister of Health Dr. Hubert A. Minnis, who was sworn in as minister in May 2007. A native of Nassau, he obtained a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of the West Indies (UWI) and an MRCOG from London in 1985. He has served as head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and as Deputy Chief of Staff at Princess Margaret Hospital, and is a former President of the Medical Association of The Bahamas as well as Chairman of the Hotel Corporation of The Bahamas and an associate lecturer at UWI in obstetrics and gynecology.
Dr. Minnis has been responsible for key programs in the health-care sector, for example concerning primary health care. He recently announced a new diploma program in community-health nursing and said, “This program will yield a minimum of 17 trained community-health nurses who will be added to the public-health sector by May 2009. On our Family Islands, nurses provide more than 95 percent of community health care.”
The Public Hospitals Authority
“Full and fair access to quality, affordable health care.”
Herbert Brown, Managing Director
The Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) of The Bahamas, established in 1999, has helped to bring world-class health care to The Bahamas. The PHA oversees the country’s public hospitals as well as the National Emergency Medical Services, the Bahamas National Drug Agency, the Materials Management Directorate, community clinics in Grand Bahama and other services.
The hospitals under the PHA’s jurisdiction are Princess Margaret Hospital, the country’s main public hospital, as well as Rand Memorial Hospital and Sandilands Rehabilitation Center. Herbert Brown, PHA’s Managing Director, explains, “We will be pursuing international accreditation, as we are satisfied that our medical, nursing and allied health personnel are comparable to or on par with many of the hospitals in the United States.”
He adds that many physicians in the Bahamas are trained in the United States.
Princess Margaret Hospital, for example, has some of the most qualified physicians working in the Caribbean. The hospital regularly invests in new equipment, and two years ago put into service a 16-slice CT scanner, the most modern radiological equipment on the island.
Tele-Health will bring top-quality care to the Family Islands
One innovative initiative for PHA is the Tele-Health project, through which doctors at Princess Margaret Hospital can provide assistance to medical professionals on the island of Abaco. The project will eventually be extended to other islands.
Another project for PHA will be the construction of a new approximately 400 bed hospital in Nassau. PHA will also continue to upgrade its other facilities in Nassau and Grand Bahama where a new state of the art health centre will be constructed to meet the needs of the Freeport residents.
To help achieve its goals, PHA is interested in forming more international partnerships. PHA is already working with various hospitals in the United States and has an active relationship with the Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Providing top-notch health care will make the Bahamas even more competitive in the race to attract second-home investors and visitors, and the government has increased PHA’s budget to ensure that the Bahamas can offer the highest-quality care.
PHA is also very active in promoting preventative medicine and good health among the people of The Bahamas. It creates special programs on local radio to inform people about ways to prevent diseases, the need for exercise and other pro-health issues. In addition, PHA provides care for anyone, even those without insurance. “One of the most vital ingredients to achieving prosperity and success as a nation is full and equal access to quality, affordable health care,” Brown explains.
