Barbados is facing an economic and health care catastrophe, warns a respected regional health economist.
And he argues that if the country does not change its health financing model, the situation could blow up.
Therefore, he urged Barbados to adopt a pre-paid health insurance scheme that pays for the health of every Barbadian and Caribbean citizen. And this should be subscribed to by everyone, including those on private insurance plans.
Professor Karl Theodore, director of HEU, the Centre for Health Economics at the University of the West Indies (UWI) St Augustine Campus in Trinidad, estimated annual cost to Barbados from non-communicable diseases such as heart attacks, strokes and cancer to be as high as $825 million, while the country spends a minimum of $360 million annually on non-communicable diseases (NCDs). (HH)
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