Davis says borrowing 'last resort' to fund healthcare needs

Mon, Sep 27th 2021, 07:24 AM

Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis said borrowing will be a “last resort” as The Bahamas continues to grapple with economic and social challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Thursday, Minister of Health and Wellness Dr. Michael Darville said there is a need for emergency funding to assist with the public healthcare system as The Bahamas battles the pandemic.

The following day, when asked to comment, Davis said, “The request of the minister has been made known to the Ministry of Finance. We are looking at how best we could meet those demands and we are hoping that borrowing will be the last resort.

“We’re hoping to be able to enhance our collection of revenue to enable us to avoid borrowing and what is available we will use and deploy wisely to ensure that he meets the challenges that he is facing in the healthcare system.”

Darville, who was sworn in as a minister in Davis’ Cabinet last week, has already visited the three major public healthcare facilities in The Bahamas — Princess Margaret Hospital and the Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre on New Providence and the Rand Memorial Hospital on Grand Bahama. 

On Thursday, before the Davis administration’s first Cabinet meeting, he said, “My initial assessment is we have a lot of work to do and there’s definitely a need for emergency funding.

“We have some of our suppliers as well as individuals involved in the fight who need to be paid and the prime minister has instructed me to find out exactly what is happening on the ground and I have done that.”

The Bahamas has been in a fragile economic situation since Hurricane Dorian pummeled Abaco and Grand Bahama — the second and third-largest economies in the country — in September 2019.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian

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