As the Anguilla Government examines the possibility of introducing a National Health Insurance system, a delegation is to visit the Turks and Caicos Islands next week to see what it can glean there “without re-inventing the wheel”.
Minister of Social Development, Mr. Evans McNiel Rogers, told media representatives: “We will be looking at the National Health Insurance/National Health Fund that the TCI had some success with there,” he said. “This is only part of an overall scheme of things whereby we don’t have to re-invent the wheel in terms of National Health Insurance/National Health Fund. A lot of work has been done [in Anguilla] several years ago. We have to adjust and move forward.”
The Minister went on: “As I have always said, there is no doubt that I am on a path to really and truly develop a modern-day medical facility here in Anguilla. In order for it to be sustainable and affordable, in terms of its services, we have to be able to look at our health insurance. Of course the insurance companies here will have a role to play. We are on a fact-finding role at present – looking to see which fund would be more applicable to us – so that not only would we have a modern medical complex, but we would have affordable healthcare and our indigent and less-fortunate individuals would be covered with health insurance as well.”
The delegation to the Turks and Caicos Islands will be led by Chief Minister and Minister of Social Security, Mr. Victor Banks, and will include Minister Evans McNiel Rogers; Chairman of the National Health Insurance Committee, Mr. Foster Rogers; Chairman of the Social Security Board, Mr. Russel Reid; and Director of Social Security, Mr. Timothy Hodge.