NCD education to be pushed before implementation
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Government is looking at having persons contribute to the National Health Insurance programme which is expected to come on stream in the near future.
That announcement was made by Senior Minister of Health, Hon. Eugene Hamilton during the recent sitting of the National Assembly, as he stood to update the nation on the impending programme which has been in discussion stages for the last two years.
With the Ministry spending nearly EC$200M on the health care sector in 2011, according to statistics, Minister Hamilton noted that the government would be able to finance the scheme. He however pointed out there needs to be a mechanism for shared contribution for those who could and could not afford to pay the cost.
“We expect all eligible persons, residents in the Federation as well, to be registered under this scheme and contributions may be shared with employers, and in some cases government. We expect the NHI agencies to sign contracts with the health service providers like the hospital and the doctors’ offices to be on the programme to provide the services,” Hamilton told the National Assembly.
The Health Ministry and the government are particularly concerned with the growing number of people coming down with Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) – a problem affecting the entire CARICOM region.
Speaking with SKNVibes today (Aug. 14), Minister Hamilton intimated that because of the growing numbers of NCDs, the Team Unity Administration found it essential to have the programme implemented.
He however disclosed that the growing cases would have an impact on the programme, likewise the spinoff effects from those persons with NCDs.
He claimed that they are optimistic that the implementation of the Health Insurance programme would see people change their mindsets when it come to their diets, in order to minimize NCDs – though not in the short term.
“If Universal Health Care lives up to what we expect of it - it is to promote a healthy lifestyle - then it means it should have an impact in the other way over time. We don’t expect to see that in the morning, but certainly over time.”
Positing that the cost of health care is expected to increase above the $200M mark, Minister Hamilton explained that more persons are getting older and that is expected to have a bearing on the Federation’s figure.
“I suppose nothing ever stays down and I am expecting the cost to rise. But once you continue to age, everything is expected to increase. What I would expect is that there would be efficiency in the delivery of health care, which would redound to cost savings.”
He claimed that one of the benefits that would arise from the programme is the sharing of information for patients in order to minimize duplication of prescriptions and overburden of medications.
Hamilton told SKNVibes that he had anticipated having the NHI process started on the Team Unity Administration’s anniversary in 2018, but that date looks farfetched.
“Can we reach that date? I am not sure! I would have to speak to the people who are doing the implementing on the ground,” he said.
He pointed out that with that delay, it would give the government and health officials the opportunity to conduct more educational outreach, while continuing consultations.
The National Health Insurance programme is geared towards ensuring that persons with ailments are covered when seeking treatment both locally and overseas.
