Island's soaring healthcare costs debated at health summit

The event was aimed at industry stakeholders and the public.

Topics included the financial implications of the redevelopment of King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and an analysis of health system indicators compared with other countries.

Key points included that healthcare costs are being driven by utilization, demographics and new technology and that challenges the system will face in coming years include increasing costs, an ageing population and a relative decrease in the working population supporting the retiree population.

A panel discussion saw David Hill, CEO of Bermuda Hospitals Board; Dr. Jennifer Attride-Sterling, CEO of the Bermuda Health Council; and Gerald Simons, CEO of Argus, discuss the island’s future healthcare system by emphasizing financial sustainability.

Solutions recommended for lowering healthcare costs included embracing medical tourism, decreasing the need for residents to go overseas for medical care, encouraging the hospital to focus more on overall wellness, not just treatment, and embracing the use of generic drugs.

Closing the event, Zane DeSilva, Minister of Health, said: “We have talked about possible solutions but there is no silver bullet. There is no single approach that will allow us to cure all the ills in the system. We must be realistic that solutions will require compromises from all stakeholders.”

About 180 people attended the full-day event and students from secondary and middle schools participated in a debate. 

Six youngsters won iPads for their contribution — Eron Hill from the Bermuda Institute; Michael Cabot of Warwick Academy; Keishaun Augustus and Glenn Simons of the Berkeley Institute; Akeila Richardson of CedarBridge Academy and Miles Cave of Saltus Grammer School.

Mr. Hill, 14, asked: “What good is quality in our healthcare system if we cannot afford it?” 

Mr. Cabot, 16, highlighted that Bermudians suffer from a high proportion of preventable diseases that could be avoided through better education. 

After the event, Mr. De Silva said: “The summit initiated vital dialogue about how we’ll finance healthcare in the future.”

All presentations will be posted at www.hfs2010.gov.bm.