Significant steps to ensure the future of the TCI health care system were taken in key decisions at the Advisory Council (AC) meeting in Grand Turk yesterday, Thursday 3 November 2011.
These recognised the challenge of how to make the health care system sustainable and affordable.
There are currently 11,000 dependants of the the National Health Insurance Plan (NHIP) supported by 18,000 paying contributors.
The decisions reached were informed by public feedback to the Health Care Funding Challenge consultation announced last month.
The Advisory Council accepted proposals to:
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Increase NHIP contribution by 1% to 6% of earnings – split 50:50 between employers and employees. This figure was directly influenced by public feedback which was concerned about proposed rise to a 9% contribution. This will raise an additional $3.5m a year.
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Establish a minimum payment of $50 per month for each contributor. Introduce a fee of $10 per dependent for up to three children. Together these proposals will raise a further $1.5m a year.
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Abolish the co-pay charges for the primary care level while continuing to review this service.
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Begin to shift resources to primary health care in the community by opening the Blue Hills Clinic in Providenciales
Measures to control costs and make the system fairer include:
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Working with InterHealth Canada to reduce the number of overseas referrals, and making better use of Caribbean based providers. This could see all tertiary treatments outside of the region stopped, unless an exceptional circumstance.
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Reducing inter-island travel for some basic diagnostic procedures, by improved scheduling and better use of technology and equipment.
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Work permit holders and temporary residents will only be entitled to on-island primary and emergency care. They will be directly responsible for care or treatments beyond that provided locally.
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Reviewing the contract with Interhealth Canada to jointly find ways to make the contract more flexible and to improve patient care.
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Work more closely with the Pan American Health Organisation to procure drugs more cheaply.
Judith Campbell, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health and Human Services, said, “I believe that these decision will improve how we conduct health care business here in TCI, by improving delivery and making its future more sustainable.
“I would like to personally thank everyone who responded to our consultation about how we meet the challenges faced by our health care system and how we can make it better meet the needs of our population”.
