Dear BP.
There are consistent reports about a “medical mafia” in the Bahamas. Whether these allegations are valid is the job of the relevant authorities, not me. My theme here is to examine our medical system and what is happening. Let’s set the background.
The number of hospital beds per 1,000 people in the Caribbean varies by country. For example:
– Barbados has approximately 5.7 hospital beds per 1,000 people.
– Cuba has about 4.2 beds per 1,000 people.
– The Bahamas has around 2.7 beds per 1,000 people.
– Jamaica has about 1.7 beds per 1,000 people | Data – World Bank Data](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.MED.BEDS.ZS).
These figures highlight the diversity in healthcare infrastructure across the region. Healthcare quality in the Caribbean varies significantly across countries due to infrastructure, resources, and government investment differences. Here’s a general overview:
– Barbados: Known for its high-quality healthcare system, Barbados offers modern facilities and well-trained medical professionals. It is a popular destination for medical tourism in the region.
– Cuba: Renowned for its robust public healthcare system, Cuba emphasises preventive care and has a high doctor-to-patient ratio. However, access to advanced medical equipment can sometimes be limited due to economic constraints.
– The Bahamas: The healthcare system here combines public and private services. While private facilities are modern and well-equipped, public healthcare can face challenges like resource shortages.
– Jamaica: Healthcare quality in Jamaica varies widely. Urban areas have better-equipped hospitals and clinics, but rural regions often struggle with limited access to medical services and specialists.
Healthcare in the Caribbean differs significantly from that in developed countries due to variations in infrastructure, funding, and accessibility.
Access to Care:
Developed nations typically offer universal healthcare or extensive insurance coverage, ensuring broad access to medical services. But, Access varies in the Caribbean. Public healthcare is often underfunded, and private care can be expensive, limiting access for lower-income populations.
If we examine Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) specifically, we find it stands out as the most significant public healthcare facility in the Bahamas. It offers various services, including specialised trauma and neonatal intensive care. The Public Hospitals Authority manages the PMH, which oversees other public hospitals like the Rand Memorial Hospital in Freeport and the Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre.
Compared to private hospitals, such as Doctors Hospital in Nassau, PMH provides more extensive acute care services and caters to a broader population, including those who may not afford private healthcare. Doctors Hospital, on the other hand, is known for its advanced medical technology and personalised care, but it operates on a smaller scale.
It, therefore, is unsurprising that not only is access to healthcare in the Bahamas based on class, those who can afford private insurance and the presence or absence of a national health program, but also that some of our loved ones may die because of this inequality. This point is essential as, by some estimates, approximately 70 per cent of our Bahamian brothers and sisters are uninsured. So, my question is, why would otherwise right-thinking Bahamians even contemplate ever voting for an FNM political party which has a long history of saying they don’t want poor people to suffer yet consistently adopt policies which affect their cost of living, healthcare opportunities and housing? In fact, during its last maladministration, the FNM did not build any public housing. They were too busy breaking down buildings, including the Clarence A. Bain building, which, with a bit of thought, could have been retrofitted to house recovering COVID-19 patients instead of leaving sick people in tents in all weather. Just saying!
While we were suffering, what was the FNM doing? Catering to their ultra-rich donors and business owners whose generational wealth accumulated to the detriment of hard-working Bahamians virtually ensured that they could get in to bury their dead pets during the COVID-19 lockdowns while we had to struggle to funeralise our dead loved ones properly.
The point I am making here is that without NHI being fully implemented because of the FNM ‘s infernal stop, review, and cancel policy, we risk not having even the minimum amount of health coverage to live a healthy life.
From bitter experience, we know where the FNM ‘s loyalties lie and who they are committed to catering to. Bahamians must think seriously about NHI and its benefits and look out for themselves and their loved ones because the FNM certainly will not.
Sincerely,
Michael J. Brown
