Last Updated on January 19, 2021, 3:27 AM AST by Anthony Morris
St Kitts and Nevis: The Federal Cabinet in St Kitts and Nevis is constituting a panel to provide advice on Universal Health Insurance’s implementation.
The move is the government’s freshest step to propose a robust insurance programme that would give quality health coverage to the population. The initiative is an expensive venture as estimations place the cost tag in $143 million and $181 million.
“Thought may have to be given to salary subtractions from people. In other words, how it is going to be funded, what advantages are we going to present, when will it start—the legislative frame upon which this should survive. Those are the questions which will come from a new panel put in place this year to guarantee that Universal Health Insurance matures a reality,” said Eugene Hamilton, Minister of National Health Insurance.
The minister’s remarks were made at the Prime Minister’s Monthly Press briefing on January 14, 2021, at the conference room of NEMA. He said that the expectation is for UHI to be executed soon after the committee finishes its task. The minister recalled citizens that the country and other nations worldwide proceed to engage with the financial fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has affected the systematic approach being taken by the administration.
“We are very cautious, we are careful, we are very thoughtful in what we do in achieving Universal Health Insurance,” Hamilton asserted.
The vastness of introducing such a comprehensive and transformative programme was related to other historical, landmark resolutions such as buying plantation lands, advancing a Citizenship by Investment Programme, and building the then Southeast Peninsula Road known as the Kennedy A. Simmonds Highway, and placing a Social Security Fund.
Minister Hamilton stated that these decisions were first of their time and assuredly impacted the country’s development.
“Universal Health Insurance is in that category,” he formulated while calling on the citizens to support the programme altogether.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
