BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – The St. Kitts-Nevis government says it will introduce universal health insurance and a new smart hospital to the twin island Federation as part of the efforts to transform the country’s health system.
Prime Minister Dr. terrance Drew flanked by PAHO/WHO’s Amalia Del Riego, and Permanent Secretary (Ag) in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Sharon Archibald.Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew let several senior health officials in a meeting with representatives from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to discuss the new initiatives.
Drew, a medical practitioner, outlined his recently elected administration’s vision of providing affordable and quality healthcare within the Federation with “the ultimate goal” being “to strengthen the health system and to ensure health service is accessible to all.
“My government is committed to achieving universal health coverage (UHC) where-by all people of the Federation of St. Kitts-Nevis have access to the full range of quality health services without financial hardship.
“It is our aim to ultimately offer the full continuum of essential health services including health promotion, preventive services, treatment, rehabilitative and palliative services. This is my first term and first budget cycle, and I am already increasing public financing for health,” said Prime Minister Drew, who is also the Minister of Health,.
He told the meeting that this year, the government is embarking on one of the biggest capital projects ever undertaken in the health sector, namely the “erection of a brand new, smart hospital, one in which structural and operational safety are linked along with the relevant green interventions to ensure disaster resilience.
“It is the obligation of the Ministry of Health and the government to implement a strong national health insurance scheme that assures equitable and universal access for all residents of St. Kitts and Nevis to an acceptable package of health services in a phased manner, ensuring efficiency in the delivery of health services including the improvement of procurement processes for drugs, medical supplies, and equipment, and to eliminate direct payment at the point of care that often act as a barrier to access.”
He said it was also important for the Federation to develop strategic partnerships such as with PAHO to ensure that the national objective is achieved.
PAHO/World Health Organization (WHO) representative, Dr. Amalia Del Riego, reiterated PAHO’s commitment to supporting the Federation in the attainment of UHC adding that “health is a right”.
During the meeting, a comprehensive update on the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme, its core components, and its implementation status was provided by the Special Advisor to the Ministry of Health, Dr. Patrick Martin.
He said that the National Health Insurance’s universal healthcare coverage will be rolled out over a period of time, in a phased approach” while Dr. Guillermo Sandoval, the advisor, Health Economics and Financing Office of the Sub-regional Program Coordination, Caribbean PAHO/WHO office spoke about the efforts involved in health financing reform.
He outlined the health services coordination and success factors that are required in achieving the necessary health reform and successful rollout of NHI, noting that “public engagement, the multi-stakeholder approach, dedicated human resources, and quality data” are needed to inform decisions.
Prime Minister Drew welcomed the fruitful discussions saying “we have concurred on the priority areas and activities to move this initiative forward. We look forward to continued cooperation with PAHO.”
He said several town hall meetings will take place within various communities to explain the NHI scheme to the people.
“Consultations will continue as we continue to work on this initiative. Consultations will be held with the Ministry of Finance, the Social Security Board, Industry and Commerce, the various labor unions, private insurance companies, Statisticians, and the media”.
