The Universal Health Coverage Agenda needs to quickly move off the agenda and into the realm of action and included in this process must be free and frank discussion on the financing of health care systems in the region.
This was the message Health Minister Donville Inniss delivered to local and regional participants gathered at the Crane Resort, for the start of a two-day PAHO/WHO Senior Policy Seminar entitled “The Universal Health Coverage Agenda in the Caribbean”.
During his address, Minister Inniss outlined a number of challenges facing Caribbean countries, including Barbados, in providing and financing good health care systems. He stressed that free and frank discussion will be key in thrashing out issues and mapping out the way forward.“There must be the commitment at the highest level of Governments in the region, to address the issue of the provision of universal health care in a sustainable manner. Armchair chats and unproductive close door meetings will not cut it. We have made regional commitments and have held healthy discussions on a regional health insurance plan – this needs to be resolved,” he said.
“We have made commitments on training and development of health care workers. This has to be implemented. We have to work with our Ministries of Finance to ensure an adequate level of financing for our health systems,” he quipped.
“Here in Barbados, I have recently requested a report based on actuarial studies to determine an adequate level of financing for our health system and the most appropriate mechanisms for financing. This of course must be preceded by agreement on the basket of services which the state is willing to provide to all of its citizens,” Inniss further explained.
“For me, the solution in respect of adequate health care financing is not only about demanding more money, it is equally about ensuring that we get the best returns on each dollar invested and that there is higher level of transparency and accountability in our system,” the Minister noted.The health minister stressed that a determined effort must be undertaken to rid regional health systems and institutions of wastage, duplication, corruption and bad practices. He also suggested that improved efficiencies throughout the system are also mandatory, to build strong health systems.
“Our system of public administration that governs health programmes in the Caribbean are too antiquated and deeply mired in a colonial type mentality of distrust and rewards for inefficiencies and incompetency. It is time to shake this to the core. Whether our systems are pure civil service departments or statutory corporations, we still have too much bureaucracy, paper shuffling, little focus on patient matters and too little accountability which relates to non-existence of appraisal systems and poor reward schemes,” he said.
“We must embrace modern technology in regional health care systems. This will leapfrog us into the 21st century. Here in Barbados, we are moving ahead with an electronic patient record system, starting first with the digitization of existing medical records. Our QEH is presently evaluating bids for such and I expect that an award for provision of said services be made within a few weeks. This will help to reduce our unit costs, whilst at the same time improving patient care and allow for better management of patients between primary to tertiary care and back,” Inniss revealed.
