Video: Minister On Care Homes, Radiation & More
[Updated] Minister of Health Kim Wilson held a press conference today [Sept 27] discussing Throne Speech initiatives, including amending the Residential Care Homes and Nursing Homes Act 1999, radiation therapy under HIP and FutureCare, and the efforts to reverse our community’s incidence of non-communicable diseases. The press conference has just concluded and we will have additional information later on, and in the meantime the 7-minute live video replay is below.
Update 1.45pm: Minister of Health Kim Wilson’s full remarks:
Good morning and thank you for being here.
The Ministry of Health’s team of about 275 people are responsible for caring for the health and wellbeing of the general public.
In this year’s Throne Speech, there are some key initiatives, some of which will result in legislation that I will be taking to the House in the near future. At the heart of each is the wellbeing of the people in our community.
Top of my priority list is the residential care homes legislation. While all of us want to, and should be able to, live in our own homes as long as we possibly can, there comes a time for some older persons when residential care is actually better and safer for all concerned.
For those instances, we want to ensure the quality of care for our loved ones who cannot safely stay at home.We also want to provide support to Bermuda’s rest homes as they continue to strive for higher standards.
To that end, we are updating our residential care homes legislation to enhance the regulatory framework so that homes can succeed and deliver the best care possible. I want there to be peace of mind for both residents and their families, and I want to make sure that those running care homes are able to provide the best care possible. I hope to introduce the legislation in this legislative session.
Bermuda is proud that radiation therapy is now available to patients locally, and Bermuda Cancer and Health is commended for making this happen for our Island, in collaboration with many stakeholders, including the Bermuda Hospitals Board.
Naturally, we want HIP and FutureCare patients to have access to this care also, therefore we are making the necessary updates to the legislation to ensure HIP and FutureCare can have this coverage.
This will be cost-neutral for the plans and the Government, thanks to the partnership with Bermuda Cancer and Health; and it will be much more affordable for patients. More importantly, those requiring radiation can recover at home with the support of family and friends…without the extra cost of overseas trips.
I and my Ministry are extremely concerned about how much our community has to pay for healthcare. While many can afford the premiums and co-pays that give access to healthcare, there are too many in our society who are unable to afford even basic insurance, much less costly co-payments. We are reviewing how these issues can be addressed to ensure healthcare becomes more affordable for everyone.
The needs of persons with disabilities are also very important to my Ministry. Earlier this month the Disability Advisory Council and our Ageing and Disability Services hosted a Town Hall meeting to discuss accessibility needs in the community.
The dialogue was very fruitful and will assist the Government in ensuring its Green Paper on the future of transport in Bermuda considers the needs of the differently-abled.
If there is one overarching initiative that will touch virtually all of us, it has to be reducing the incidence of chronic diseases and life-style related health risks.
I believe that if this country’s population could take an annual physical, it would be considered unwell. Reversing the incidence of chronic diseases is of the highest importance to the Ministry of Health. Indeed, it must be a top priority for the country.
The preventable conditions caused by poor lifestyle choices, including obesity and diabetes, cost this country…and that means you and me…a lot. We bear those costs not only in millions of dollars, but also in the pain and suffering of individuals who lose quality of life when ill; in the heart-ache of families who lose loved ones to these lifestyle-related diseases; and we bear the cost in substituting economically productive members of society for sick, dependent individuals.
With three out of every four people obese or overweight, it is time to take a good look at ourselves and take some steps to improve our health. We are straining our healthcare resources, and the only way out is to change our lifestyles.
That’s why the Ministry is pursuing interventions, like the recent “Taking it to the Streets” community nursing effort that brought free health screenings to the community. We’ve also had the 50 Million Steps campaign and today we are announcing which parish has taken the most steps and will win outdoor exercise equipment to be installed in a park in that parish for all to use.
The results of 50 Million Steps…and I’m proud to say that at last count we exceeded that by quite a bit… will be announced today at our annual Celebrating Wellness event at Victoria Park from 4pm. This year, the focus is on youth because the Ministry wants to start our youngest people on a road to a lifetime of good health.
As you can see, the Ministry is actively going out to the community in pursuit of wellness. Please join us in celebrating health and wellness, and in helping Bermuda walk the walk to a brighter, healthier future.
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This:
I and my Ministry are extremely concerned about how much our community has to pay for healthcare. While many can afford the premiums and co-pays that give access to healthcare, there are too many in our society who are unable to afford even basic insurance, much less costly co-payments. We are reviewing how these issues can be addressed to ensure healthcare becomes more affordable for everyone.
Yes, good, but how? is this is one size fits insurance? is it the NHS? what is it
We could have an impact on the cost of insurance if we went after the people who commit insurance fraud….if you know what I mean.
That added cost to Bermudian healthcare will be swept under the carpet, of course. That particular massive conflict of interest will remain unaddressed. Instead Kim Wilson will wring her hands wishing costs were lower, while doing nothing about one of the most scandalous root causes of the high costs. And the lizard man at the centre of it will claim to be the victim.
Thanks Kim Wilson….
“With three out of every four people obese or overweight, it is time to take a good look at ourselves and take some steps to improve our health. We are straining our healthcare resources, and the only way out is to change our lifestyles”.
So much for lives matter.
Quo..
“I and my Ministry are extremely concerned about how much our community has to pay for healthcare. While many can afford the premiums and co-pays that give access to healthcare, there are too many in our society who are unable to afford even basic insurance, much less costly co-payments. We are reviewing how these issues can be addressed to ensure healthcare becomes more affordable for everyone.”
What planet is she on. Whenever measures have been taken to reduce healthcare costs she and her party spoke out against them. And now she whines about high costs.
“I and my Ministry are extremely concerned about how much our community has to pay for healthcare. ”
Bermudians, like republicans, do not want to pay for anyone else. Bermudians do not want equality for all.
In 2017 government healthcare premiums were reduced for the first time ever. Let’s see the PLP reduce the premiums further.
That reduction was under the OBA administration. They increased under the PLP administration.
The plp don’t understand REDUCE.