With the Vision of ensuring that the National Health Insurance Plan is feasible and workable in the Turks and Caicos Islands, Executive Drexwell Seymour has accepted the appointment of Chairman of National Health Insurance Board.
The appointment made by the Minister of Finance is for three years.
Mr.Seymour General Manager of LIME will be joined by Deputy Chairman Mr.Clayton Been.
The National Health Insurance Plan was established in 2009 in the Turks and Caicos Islands with its goal to facilitate the provision of accessible, affordable and quality health care services to all its beneficiaries as specified in the ordinance.
Mr. Seymour said his vision is to ensure that the National Health Insurance Plan is feasible and workable for its clients.
Here’s Damian Wilson with more.
“Mr. Seymour said he does not want to see any increase in rates, but rather find ways and means to reduce the health care expenditure.
Since the construction of the 2 hospitals and the implementation of NHIB, the country has seen a significant decrease in overseas treatment abroad.
“I would like to continue to work with the Board to ensure we can further reduce this cost by utilizing the regional providers and to encourage more treatment locally,” Mr. Seymour added.
The newly appointed chairman said he wants to ensure that the vision of the TCIG government is implemented; that vision he said,
includes the plan of extending benefits to persons who are unemployed, but registered at the Labor Office.
“The NHIP is a great plan for the TCI but it is important that we promote and increase the awareness of this Plan.
The public will be more informed and much focus will be on Educating the public on the services and benefits provided. “There are a number of success stories that need to be made public and much misunderstanding about NHIP.
One which is NHIP and Inter-Health Canada are separate entities, Mr. Seymour said.”
He said there are individuals who include the cost of InterHealth Canada as a cost of NHIP; this he said is totally misleading. A certified public accountant Mr. Seymour believes that his appointment by the Minister was based on his back ground in accounting. Mr. Seymour worked at both KPMG and Price Waterhouse, locally and in Canada. He has also served on other boards such as TCI Invest and National Insurance Board.
Mr. Seymour has as his Deputy former manager of Inward Investment with TCInvest, Mr. Clayton Been.
Mr. Been is a senior executive with over two and half decades of corporate and operational management experience in economic development and corporate restructuring. He is an Innovative leader and motivator with sound convictions, values, morals and business ethics.
Other members of the NHIP Board are Mr. Wilbur Caley who was acting chairman from the time the first chairman Mr. John Smith resigned ; Dr.Sam Slattery, Madeline Mills, Beverly Williams, the three are original board members. Also on the Board are Representatives from InterHealth Canada and the National Insurance Board. Ex officio members include the Permanent Secretaries of Health and Finance; and the Chief Medical Officer.
This is Damian Wilson for RTC News.
