Minister says $4m-a-month tax keeps QEH afloat

Just over a year after the Government imposed a levy on taxpayers to help finance the operations of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), Minister of Health and Wellness Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Bostic has hailed the imposition of the tax as a success and a good move for healthcare in Barbados.

But, while netting the $4 million per month predicted when it was instituted last October, the Minister of Health admits more must be done to ensure citizens see and feel the benefits of the additional income.

“The Health Services Contribution has been performing as anticipated and the initial goal was to guarantee the QEH at least $4 million a month and that target is being met and that has allowed the QEH to plan its business,” Bostic told Barbados TODAY in an interview.

The levy imposes a charge of 2.5 per cent on employed persons, with employers paying 1.5 and employees paying one per cent. Last October, Minister in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs Ryan Straughn hailed the tax as a much-needed response to the country’s deteriorating healthcare system.

However, in response to questions about persistent shortages and poor treatment of patients among others, he said the Ministry of Health and the institution’s new board are working feverishly to erase some “systemic issues” still plaguing the St. Michael institution.

“The shortages and so on which you have referred to have not been about a lack of funding, but there are other systemic issues that would have resulted in shortages at the QEH in terms of materials. But they have the funding available to do what is required with the provision of medical supplies. That is not an issue at all,” Bostic insisted.

“The hospital has been able to receive the necessary funding from the contribution as has been anticipated by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs and the shortages did not result from the unavailability of funds.”

According to the Health Minister, the hospital had been “suffering” from the extended sick leave taken by former Chief Executive Officer Dr Dexter James along with the bizarre resignations of the hospital’s procurement manager and finance director.

Since then, Bostic revealed the new board of directors, headed by Executive Chairman, Juliette Bynoe-Sutherland has been making additional changes to the overall management structure and has submitted recommendations to the Ministry of Health.

“There is more to be done and we have started that process because obviously as we indicated when we made some amendments to the QEH Act in Parliament, there were some management issues that had to be dealt with and we are in the process of doing so. There are also some systemic issues relating to storage, procurement and other related matters at the QEH which had to be dealt with and the QEH already started the process and I am satisfied with what the board is doing in relation to those issues,” said Bostic.

The Minister of Health, however, could not discuss whether the Government intended to increase or reduce the levy in the short term, adding that any such decision would be determined between the hospital’s board and the Ministry of Finance.  Efforts to reach Bynoe-Sutherland for a deeper understanding of the situation at the QEH were unsuccessful.
kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb