The National Health Insurance Scheme – the last government was determined to roll it out before election – and contracts with primary care providers were signed in early January. At that time, the then Opposition made it clear that it was uncomfortable with the planned rollout because no one was quite sure who would pay the annual tab of over $30 million. And now that the UDP is in government it has put the rollout on hold. Last week Friday, senior staff at the Social Security Board wrote letters to the over 15 private contractors who’d signed on as primary care providers telling them that the rollout was on hold until further notice.
The letter warns that Social Security and the Ministry of Health is investigating the legality of the contracts. That’s left those providers worried and holding what could be a very expensive bag – because most of them have invested major sums in the infrastructure and staff for the NHI clinics. Where it goes from here is anyone’s guess – because the UDP’s commitment to NHI, as it is presently conceived, has at all times been lukewarm.
In somewhat related news, the Ministry of Economic Development has announced that it is putting a hold on all new applications for casino licenses. A brief statement says the hold will be in effect until the ministry concludes a comprehensive review of Belize’s casino and gaming programme.
