President of the Bahamas Pharmaceutical Association (BPA) Michelle Finlayson said community pharmacies may be in danger of closing down if the Christie adminstration's National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme is not properly implemented.

Finlayson told Guardian Business yesterday that the government needs to have a round-table discussion with stakeholders impacted by NHI.

"We are just a cog in a bigger wheel in the healthcare system," she said.

The pharmaceutical association is currently in discussions with the government, KPMG, and other parties
involved in the process to figure out how to sustain businesses in the pharmaceutical industry. Finlayson said a position paper was presented to the government and most of the terms were agreed on. But, she said, there are still some concerns that remain in question.

"Wholesale distributors are concerned about the procurement aspect of pharmaceuticals, and owners would be worried about compensation from NIB being less or at least on par," she said.

"NIB really did scale some of the bottom line for every pharmacy. So, the biggest fear now is will we expect more of that ... If it is not negotiated, we can actually see very few community pharmacies staying open if the plan is not rolled out properly," she added.

URHA AND BPA
The United Healthcare Reform Alliance (UHRA) is a coalition of 14 professional groups that have rejected the proposed NHI model, charging that the challenges in the healthcare system have their origins in public healthcare administration. Members of the UHRA will not sign on to NHI as proposed by the government. The alliance has stated that it demands proper consultation with its members.

Finlayson said the Bahamas Pharmaceutical Association is considering joining the UHRA. "We have the document, and it is being reviewed," she said.

The president also mentioned that some pharmaceutical wholesale distributors have already signed onto the coalition.

"We understand that the end product to the Bahamians has to be a cohesive plan that still allows the substantiability of the business," said Finlayson .
Currently, UHRA has more than 2,000 members.

NPDP and NHI
The National Prescription Drug Plan (NPDP) was introduced in 2009. The NPDP is designed to assist the Bahamian public with medications generally prescribed to treat 11 chronic conditions: arthritis, asthma, breast cancer, depression (major), diabetes, glaucoma, high cholesterol, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, prostate cancer and psychosis. The plan is managed by the National Insurance Board (NIB).

Finlayson explained that NHI is simply an extension of the NPDP.

"Pharmacy is a little different. We technically had NHI in the form of our National Prescription Drug Plan whereas the other stakeholders would be looking at forecasted data. Pharmacists have had seven to eight years of actual data on the national drug plan. NHI itself will be an extention of this plan," she said.

Xian Smith, Guardian Business Reporter

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian