Madam Speaker,
I stand before this House on behalf of the hard-working Bahamians of Cat Island, Rum Cay, and San Salvador, whom I have the privilege to represent.
Today, I can say to my constituents, and to all Bahamians across our archipelago, with confidence, and with no small amount of gratitude, that the legislation before us will promote their health and well-being, and help our country take important steps forward in building the health care system that Bahamians deserve.
We have spoken, in this place and elsewhere, of our administration’s priorities – security, opportunity, affordability, and reform.
We are working to strengthen our country’s national security and to build safer communities.
We are working to expand opportunities, to build a more inclusive economy — infrastructure improvements, new programmes in agriculture, and innovation in education and training are all important ways we’re investing in our country and in our people.
We are working to make life more affordable in The Bahamas, following a global inflation crisis which increased the already-too-high cost of living here.
Madam Speaker,
We are also working to bring much-needed change and reform to many areas – although fixing broken systems, whether in energy or in land registration or health care, doesn’t happen overnight. But when you want to truly change the status quo, when you want to change lives, you must get the details of your reforms right, and you must be in it for the long-haul.
That is what we have worked hard to do in health care – acting to provide immediate relief when possible, but also building comprehensive, transformative changes.
I don’t think many Bahamians have forgotten the state of things in September 2021. We inherited a healthcare system in deep crisis, with severe challenges across multiple dimensions. Of course, these challenges were compounded by the pandemic – but the crisis was also the result of longstanding structural deficiencies. The capacity of our system was overwhelmed, to breaking point.
We have made substantial progress – but it has required several years of work to put in place the most important building blocks for change – and we are now able to address, with great urgency, the clear deficiencies in the system.
The healthcare compendium before us today helps us to take another step in the right direction.
This healthcare compendium embodies the fundamental values that have defined this administration since day one – fundamental PLP values that have defined our party since its inception.
We believe in equity – simply put, that quality healthcare is the right of every Bahamian – regardless of which neighbourhood they live in, or the amount of money in their bank account.
We believe in accessibility; a nation made up of many islands will always face resource and logistical challenges, but we do not accept that geography must forever determine health outcomes.
We also believe in prevention – because investing in wellness today prevents illness tomorrow.
We see investments in health care as investments in the potential of our people – it is difficult to thrive while battling illness.
So here again, as in so many areas, we have refused to accept the status quo; instead, we have laid a foundation for transformation.
Madam Speaker,
The Bahamas faces significant health challenges that demand action.
Non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease represent our greatest health burden, surpassing communicable diseases as the leading cause of illness and death.
Healthcare expenses have bankrupted many patients and their families, and public facilities continue to struggle with overcrowding and long wait times.
This reality is unacceptable in a 21st-century Bahamas.
That is why, with each year of this administration, despite the many other urgent challenges requiring investment and focus, we have made consistent progress in taking on longstanding health care challenges.
We established the Catastrophic Healthcare Fund, providing support to those facing serious illnesses.
We have embraced modern electronic health records with telehealth capabilities, bringing technology to Bahamian healthcare.
We have increased salaries and benefits for our nurses and doctors, valuing the hands that heal us and the voices that comfort us in our most vulnerable moments.
Mental health has also been prioritised through amendments to the Mental Health Act, becausepsychological wellbeing cannot be separated from physical health.
Our healthcare infrastructure investments speak to our commitment.
We are constructing new hospitals in Grand Bahama and New Providence, renovating clinics across almost every populated island, and implementing improvements at Princess Margaret Hospital.
These are real, ongoing projects, some of which are already operational and providing improved healthcare to patients. Others are under construction and will be making a difference to Bahamian families in short order.
Madam Speaker,
The compendium we are debating comprises five bills, each addressing a different area of healthcare improvement.
Before us, we have the Health Promotion and Wellness Bill, 2025.
This foundational Bill establishes our commitment to preventive care.
We are laying the groundwork for a national Health Promotion and Wellness Plan with measurable targets, moving us from reactive to proactive healthcare.
For the young Bahamian who has been warned they are pre-diabetic, this means the ability to participate in community education programmes that teach proper nutrition and exercise.
For the busy parent, it means workplace wellness initiatives that prioritise physical and mental health. For our children, it means school programmes that establish healthy habits from an early age.
This Bill empowers the Minister to set limits on harmful foods and require warning labels, providing information to Bahamians about the ultra-processed and harmful food products that fuel our chronic disease epidemic.
Additionally, the establishment of a National Food and Nutrition Commission will ensure our food environment supports health rather than undermines it.
Nobody loves Bahamian food more than me, Madam Speaker.
But we can embrace vegetables and fruits – especially the ones we can grow here at home – and make sure we enjoy our fried foods, and starches and sugars, in moderation.
This Bill represents a paradigm shift from primarily focusing on treating illness to promoting holistic wellness and healthy lifestyles; a shift from individual responsibility to community support; and a shift from managing disease to preventing it entirely.
Madam Speaker,
The Pharmacy Bill, 2025, another important Bill in this compendium, takes a big step in the right direction – this time, in relation to how we process prescriptions.
Modern healthcare requires modern prescription practices. This Bill brings our pharmacy regulations into the digital age, allowing secure electronic prescription systems that reduce errors and prevent fraud.
We no longer need to rely on the old, paper-based process.
Madam Speaker,
Sometimes it is a near miracle that our pharmacists can recognise the handwritten prescriptions that are brought to them.
There are times when they have to call the doctor just to figure out what was written.
With the new system introduced by the Pharmacy Bill 2025, we no longer have to risk potential medication errors due to handwritten prescriptions. Electronic prescriptions ensure accuracy and create clear records.
And this includes integration with our Cannabis Act database, so that as we roll out our new Cannabis regime, it will also benefit from improved efficiency and accurate record-keeping as we balance access with safety.
These technological improvements will reduce wait times, improve safety, and support our healthcare providers with tools that match international standards.
Madam Speaker,
In this compendium, we have the Dental Professions Bill, 2025, which establishes new, national standards for dental practice.
Any oral healthcare professional will tell you that oral health is integral to overall health; yet, dental care has been inadequately regulated for years. This Bill establishes modern standards that protect patients while supporting dental professionals.
Standards are established for the qualifications to be registered as a dental professional, and areas of specialisation will also now be recognised.
The strengthened Bahamas Dental Council will ensure transparency through annual public listings of licensed practitioners.
Mandatory continuing education requirements guarantee that practitioners maintain up-to-date knowledge and skills. And formal disciplinary processes will protect patients from misconduct while ensuring the fair treatment of professionals.
Bahamian families can now have confidence that their dentist meets the highest professional standards.
And dental professionals will now have clear guidelines and support for their development.
Madam Speaker,
Next, we have the National Health Insurance Bill, 2025, which repeals and replaces the 2016 Act, adding expanded coverage and stronger oversight.
This comprehensive Bill introduces a revolutionary framework that ensures every Bahamian has access to quality healthcare. Through extensive stakeholder consultation with the Insurance Commission, the Bahamas Insurance Association, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Medical Association, we have crafted legislation that balances universal coverage with systemic efficiency.
The centrepiece of this transformation is the establishment of a minimum standard of coverage, referred to as the Standard Health Benefit, which mirrors the care provided by National Health Insurance.
Every private health insurance plan must provide this minimum standard to Bahamian residents, ensuring that, regardless of your insurer, you receive consistent, quality primary care.
For the working mother in Nassau who receives insurance through her employer, this means her coverage will include the same comprehensive primary care services as her neighbour who relies on NHI. The businessman in Freeport and the teacher in Andros will have access to identical standards of preventive care, diagnostic services, and treatment protocols.
Under this Bill, we are expanding our national network of providers, establishing a unified fee schedule that brings together public and private healthcare professionals under rigorous quality standards.
Every provider joining our network must maintain active membership with the Bahamas Medical Council and proper licensing from the Hospitals and Health Care Facilities Licensing Board. This ensures that whether you visit a private clinic or a public facility, you receive care that meets the requisite professional standards.
This Bill fundamentally redefines NHI’s role, transforming it into what we call “ an insurer of last resort.”
This essentially means that Bahamians with private insurance will continue receiving care through their existing providers, while those without private coverage will be served by NHI. However, when circumstances change, for example, when someone loses their job, NHI automatically ensures continuity of care.
Through required data-sharing agreements, we will create a national database that eliminates coverage gaps.
No Bahamian will fall through the cracks.
When private insurance ends, NHI coverage begins, ensuring uninterrupted access to essential health services.
This Bill transforms healthcare from a fragmented system where income is a barrier to coverage into a unified system where every Bahamian receives quality care regardless of their health insurance status.
This milestone will be achieved with no major increase in costs for the industry or for consumers. And I want to note that our insurance industry stakeholders have supported us on this point.
Let me repeat that.
Private insurers expect no material increase in costs from our NHI reforms due to the use of efficient provider networks.
This demonstrates how comprehensive healthcare expansions and fiscal responsibility goals can both be achieved when policies are well-designed.
After all the years of the critics saying that we could not expand healthcare, all of the people who said that our country couldn’t afford it.
This administration refused to accept the status quo. And healthcare – and the lives of many Bahamians -will forever be changed as a result of our efforts.
Madam Speaker,
Last but certainly not least, we have the National Health Insurance (Specified Chronic Diseases) (Prescription Drug Fund), 2025.
Perhaps no single initiative will impact more Bahamian families than the integrated prescription drug programme that will be created by this Bill.
Over 160,000 NHI members with chronic diseases will receive free medications and medical supplies, up from about 44,000 people under the previous plan.
Think about the diabetic who currently spends hundreds each month on insulin, money she may also need for housing, food, or their children’s education. Under our programme, these medications will be free. The hypertensive patient who previously skipped doses to stretch their prescription can now access consistent treatment.
This programme establishes a bulk purchasing strategy that reduces costs for the government while ensuring a consistent supply, and partner pharmacy contracts create a network accessible to all Bahamians, whether they live in Nassau or the most remote Family Island.
Madam Speaker,
These healthcare reforms exemplify our broader transformation of Bahamian society.
We are changing the status quo across various sectors that directly impact Bahamians’ lives.
In Family Island infrastructure, we have broken ground on new airports, upgraded roads, and expanded water systems. Where the FNM left crumbling infrastructure and broken promises, we are delivering modern facilities that connect our islands to opportunities.
Grand Bahama’s economy is being revitalised, as we bring in investments, attract more tourists, create an abundance of jobs, and support local businesses.
The shipyard expansion, the cruise port, the multiple new resorts underway, and phase one of the new hospital will all provide hundreds of construction jobs and even more permanent jobs. We are making real progress. In the near future, we will be able to proudly proclaim: “Grand Bahama is back.”
Across the nation, our energy reforms will usher in a new era of solar power while creating a more stable power supply and reducing costs.
Big changes are also happening in education, housing, agriculture, tourism, and, of course, in healthcare, as we reject the failed policies of the past and embrace solutions that empower and protect Bahamians.
Madam Speaker,
Today, we are taking a much-needed step forward for healthcare in this nation.
We are transforming healthcare from a privilege to a right, from treatment-focused to prevention-focused, and from crisis-driven to wellness-oriented.
We are building the system that Bahamians deserve.
The Progressive Liberal Party has always been the party of progress.
Today, we reaffirm our legacy through policies that will save lives and build a healthier nation.
We are writing a new chapter in Bahamian healthcare.
This is just the beginning of the transformation.
We have a lot more to accomplish in coming years. And the best is yet to come.
Thank you, Madam Speaker.