Country reports presented at Tropical Community Healthcare and Research 2015, at Khon Kaen University, Thailand on 8th July 2015 by members of 13 countries.

2. The Islands of The Bahamas
• Archipelago: 700 islands
and 2,400 cays &rocks.
• Only 30 islands are
inhabited.
• Measures: 13,878km
spreading across
259,000km
• Capital is New
Providence (Nassau).

4. CLIMATIC FEATURES
• Tropical and subtropical climate
• Dry & wet
• Winter season: 60F – 75F
• Summer season:78F – 90F
• Humidity high (especially in
summer months)
• Wind speed 10 knots
(predominately all year round).
• Hurricane: June - November

10. • Total population: Approximately
400,000 people.
• Making it 177th most populous country
in the world.
• Most of population in capital Nassau
of 260, 000 persons.
• Life expectancy: males 60 years old
females 72 years old

11. Ethnic groups: 85% Blacks
12% Whites; 3% Hispanic
• Cultures: Bahamians
Haitians, Jamaicans,Indians,
Chinese, Philippines, others.
• Language: English sometimes
use of Bahamian dialect.

12. Religious denominations
Anglican
Baptist
Catholic

15. salt aragonite

21. ECONOMICS
• Main Industries:
Banking: GDP 20%
Tourism: GDP 60%
Export: 10%
Other: 10%
Currency: USD 1:1
GDP per capita: $20,113.80
VAT 7.5%

29. Junkanoo: Bahamian festival
Boxing Day: December 26st
New Year Day: January 1st
Large group competition:
*music
*dance
*customs

41. HEALTH IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF
THE BAHAMAS
Optimal level of health and well-being
of all residents in The Bahamas.
To ensure the best quality of services for health promotion, health
protection and healthcare is accessible to all residents in The
Bahamas in order for them to achieve optimal level of health.
Primary healthcare
Secondary healthcare
Tertiary healthcare

42. Healthcare in The Bahamas
Three functional government
hospitals:
*Princess Margaret Hospital
Nassau
*Rand Memorial – Grand
Bahama
*Sandilands Rehabilitation &
Geriatric Hospital- Nassau
Two private hospital:
Doctor’s Hospital – Nassau
Lyford Cay Hospital - Nassau

43. Public Clinic in The Bahamas
• There are 200 plus public
community clinics throughout
The Bahamas.
• Offers: Ambulatory services
Laboratory services
Pharmacy services
Specialty services

44. Medical Services
• Laboratory
• Pharmacies
• Diagnostic Imaging
• Hospices
• Counseling Centers
• Specialty Units:
dialysis
heart
others
• Rehabilitation
• Transportation:
EMS
Air Ambulance
Charter Services

47. Health Services
• Surgical
• Medical
• Emergency
• Dental
• Ophthalmology
• Obstetrics
• Gynecological
• Pediatrics
• Community
• Psychiatry
• Antenatal
• Cardiology
• Endocrinology
• Others

48. Bahamas Health Initiatives
• The Ministry of Health has decided to implement an even more
holistic approach to helping residents adopt and sustain healthy
lifestyles, in order to continue to meet the country’s health
needs.
• The Initiative is founded on a well grounded population health
approach, and uses collaboration and community team building
to foster its aims and objectives.
• The Healthy Lifestyle Secretariat was established, November
2005 to provide administrative coordination of the activities of
the Initiative.

49. OBJECTIVES
• To reduce prevalence of smoking, physical inactivity and unhealthy
eating.
• To carry out health promotion and education around the above.
• To lobby for the institutionalization of healthy lifestyle practices in
work and organization settings.
• To implement monitoring and evaluation of healthy lifestyle
programming nationally.
• To support research on behavior modification in the area of health.
• To provide policy from a Governmental and Ministry level that
supports healthy lifestyles nationally.

50. Leading causes of Hospitalizations
• Cardiovascular diseases
• Strokes
• Diabetes
• Respiratory infections &
diseases
• Cancers
• Pregnancy & childbirth
• Injuries
• Poisoning
• Accidents
• Musculoskeletal diseases
• Endocrine, metabolic &
nutritional diseases.
• Renal disease
• Genitourinary diseases

51. National Health Insurance
• Bahamian healthcare spending today at almost 10 per cent of
our $8 billion GDP. That represents some $800 million in total
annual spending - including public and private as well as
overseas health spending. The private sector accounts for
about half of this money, experts say.
• Recommendations: Expected January 1, 2016 Bahamas will
adopt a financing system called national health insurance,
which pools payments from all residents to pay for universal
healthcare. Individuals could still buy private insurance to
cover areas ineligible for reimbursement by the public
system.

52. National Health Insurance: 2016