Good afternoon,
Today marks an important step forward as we improve access to quality healthcare for this community.
We are making steady progress as we turn the page on the healthcare failures of the past and move toward a healthier future.
For too long, Bahamians have had no choice but to make do with a healthcare system that did not meet their basic needs.
This clinic is no exception.
Just five years ago, workers at this clinic protested for change because of deteriorating conditions. This was at a time when the global pandemic had laid bare our systemic failures in healthcare.
That protest was joined by a chorus of concerns from across our archipelago demanding dignity in healthcare and asking for a broken system to be fixed.
It was clear that the people of this community and the people of this nation deserved better.
In 2021, this administration committed to beginning the journey toward better healthcare.
It is an ambitious undertaking.
It required new hospitals, which are currently in progress.
It required expanded NHI and prescription drug coverage, as well as the introduction of a Catastrophic Healthcare Fund.
It required new clinics and healthcare facilities on multiple islands, as well as the improvement and expansion of dozens of clinics in New Providence, Grand Bahama, and the Family Islands.
And it required major improvements to PMH, including $75 million in upgrades during the current budget cycle, and past upgrades to A&E and other wards.
Today marks another important milestone as we reopen a clinic that had fallen into disrepair and is now able to adequately service the healthcare needs of the surrounding community.
The Baillou Hill Road Clinic has not just been refurbished or repaired, it has been transformed to deliver modern, state-of-the art care.
This is just the latest of dozens of clinics to be modernized to provide 21st-century healthcare services.
Just two weeks ago, we broke ground for the Coconut Grove Advanced Health Centre, and seven days ago, we reopened the Anne’s Town Community Clinics – two additional state-of-the-art public healthcare facilities which will have a positive impact on health outcomes in our local communities.
And we are far from done.
We must continue pushing forward to deliver on our ambitious agenda to transform healthcare in this country.
We have no choice.
To leave our healthcare system in the same deplorable condition we met when we took office would be unethical.
Too many lives are hanging in the balance for us not to push our plans forward aggressively.
I’ve sat with health professionals working beyond exhaustion with limited resources.
I’ve heard the stories of patients and their loved ones who waited long hours to be served when they experienced medical emergencies, as well as those who were served but received subpar care.
I’ve talked to people who have delayed necessary treatments because they lacked the funds to pay.
We are making these changes for them and the countless others who deserve a healthcare system that works for everyone.
And that is as true for our Family Islands as it is for New Providence.
Being a nation of islands does not excuse us from our obligation to provide quality healthcare to every Bahamian, regardless of which island they live on or the amount of money in their bank account.
Our approach to healthcare must be completely revamped to address our unique challenges.
For example, our population is plagued by chronic conditions – many of which are worsened by lifestyle choices. Hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases can all be better managed or prevented with the right choices. However, these lifestyle choices must be supported by preventative care, as well as accessible doctor visits, diagnostic services, medications, and treatments.
The government must also facilitate healthy choices by better educating the public and incentivizing the purchase of healthy foods, including efforts to make healthy foods more affordable.
Our approach must be completely transformed in every way, and we are committed to getting it done.
However, we must also acknowledge the practical constraints. Completely rebuilding an entire public healthcare system is not an overnight fix. Progress will be measured in years, not days, weeks, or months.
But what’s most important is the fact that steady, measurable progress is being made as we execute our long-term vision for improved healthcare in The Bahamas.
The clinic before us today is tangible proof of the progress we’ve made.
Thank you to Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. Darville, and your team for your support in making this vision a reality. I also thank the MP for Bains and Grants Town, Wayde Watson, whose advocacy on behalf of this community has been instrumental in bringing us to this milestone.
I’ve always believed that access to quality healthcare is a right, not a privilege.
Unfortunately, we live in a country where that is not the reality for many people.
But the fact that we have not yet achieved universal access to healthcare does not make it any less of a right.
A right doesn’t cease to be a right just because people don’t have access to it.
Lack of access to healthcare is a form of inequality – a form of inequity and injustice – that we must take serious steps toward addressing.
Even if the end goal cannot be achieved in a year or two, it is a right worth fighting for and striving for each and every year until we succeed.
For me, and for this administration, there is no other choice – no other future that we are willing to accept.
Hospital by hospital, clinic by clinic, programme by programme, we are taking steps in the right direction to deliver a better future for healthcare in this nation.
Thank you. And God bless you.