BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – MINISTER OF HEALTH the Hon. Eugene Hamilton has announced that the Team Unity Government would soon commence consultation on its promise to provide a national health insurance plan for all the people of St. Kitts and Nevis.
“I would ask everyone who is waiting on Team Unity’s promise of Comprehensive Medical Insurance to note that by September it is my intension to appoint the commission that will conduct the consultation in order that we could deliver the promise that we made for comprehensive healthcare for all.”
Hamilton was at the time a guest on Freedom FM’s talk show programme ‘Issues’, where he was asked a number of questions pertaining to the Ministries under his purview.
As the Minister responsible for the implementation of the health plan, Hamilton declared that it is not his intention to oust the private sector from the insurance market but to offer an incentive to those long-serving providers.
“I want to assure the people in the private sector that it is not my intension, as we begin to pursue this, to remove private sector insurance from the market. Those who are out there making a living and indeed providing coverage in the private sector, in fact, I want to suggest that one of the things I hope will come out of this is that the suggestion is a plan to incentivise the private sector to make sure they each provide coverage for their employees and don’t depend on the Government’s programme.”
While on the campaign trail for the February 2015 General Elections, Team Unity had made reference to 1992 when St. Kitts and Nevis was one of the earliest Eastern Caribbean nations to embrace Universal Health coverage for public servants.
The then opposition claimed that the revolutionary Health Insurance Scheme was designed by Hamilton and that it provided coverage for local care and extended coverage for procedures at regional and extra regional providers, including major medical coverage.
Team Unity had also claimed that every public servant, from the Governor-General to the lowest paid employee on the Government’s payroll, was included in that Health Insurance Scheme.
In 2014, a press release from Team Unity’s Communications stated that their Health Insurance Plan would have similar coverage, but “for all residents”, and that “the Team Unity government will work with Social Security, employers and trade unions to work out the best mechanism for the operation of the scheme and the payment of premiums via payroll contributions”.
The release also stated that under the plan all persons registered under the Social Security Act would have access to national health insurance benefits, including self-employed persons and pre-schoolers.
“The intention of this Health Insurance Scheme is to ensure that every resident has access to a reasonable measure of protection if faced with a medical need. The Team UNITY National Health Insurance Policy is one of a plethora of policies that will be pursued under their ‘Prosperity for All Agenda’,” the release added.
The Health Minister pointed out that pursuant to the September consultation, it is the Government’s intention to implement the Comprehensive Medical Insurance early next year.
