PM Skerrit praises public officers for their role in the NHI Pilot Program.

Skerrit said public officers showed true team spirit and workmanship in rolling out the NHI

Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Roosevelt Skerrit, has applauded the efforts of public officers in rolling out the National Health Insurance Pilot Program (NHI) in a “timely” manner.

This program aims to provide assistance to mothers aged thirty-five or younger with children aged three years or younger in need of financial aid for critical medical complications.

The government of Dominica has set aside E.C. $5-million to fund this program which is managed by the Dominica Social Security. 

Speaking at the launching ceremony of the Pilot program on Monday morning at the Fort Young Hotel, Skerrit said that public officers have demonstrated “true team spirit and team workmanship” in the delivery of the program.

“We all speak loudly about our disappointments and dissatisfactions from time to time, but on this occasion, I think we need to ask the public officers involved to take the salute, for their timely delivery of this program. This is the end-product of true team spirit and team workmanship,” he said.

The Prime Minister, who is also the Minister of Finance, added that the experience gained from previously being a public officer himself, has left him with full knowledge of the trials that can be faced working in such a field, and so the efforts of the public officers must be commended as it not labor for reward, but labor for love.

“It is why I had reason just last week to remind listeners of the fact that I too was a public officer. I know and understand the nuances associated with working in the government service and that generally it is more a labor of love than labor for reward,” he stated.

The fact that the public officers have shown such dedication towards the project is something, according to Skerrit, that Dominicans should be proud of and must spread across the entire public service in order to reach set goals.

“We have a cadre and a caliber of public officers in Dominica, of which we can be proud. The dedication and hard work that fueled the coming into being of this project in just a few months, must be replicated across the service if we are to achieve the goals we have set ourselves as a nation, by 2020,” the Prime Minister remarked.

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38 Comments

  1. April 4, 2017

    We are proud of the public servants who work, and do so assiduously! Kudos to them on making this a reality!

  2. April 4, 2017

    Very timely, indeed. And while all the commenters on here so far have taken on a tone of angst and negativity, allow me to be the first to commend the Prime Minister and his government on this opportune program, and the DSS for spearheading it. No doubt in my mind, this will influence for the greater good.

  3. Not a herd follower
    April 4, 2017

    Skerro, you full of praise for the public officers and yet you don’t want to pay them not one cent more. You are up to your usual con game.

  4. Look It
    April 4, 2017

    WAIT!!!!! HOLD UP!!!! Let us do some logical thinking here….let us ask ourselves and them men dere some REAL questions now?

    1. How sustainable is this so called National Health Insurance?

    2. Will this NHI be permanent; meaning will is still be available in the 2, 3, 4 years?

    3. If it is permanent, after the 5 million DONE… where is the alternative source of funds to feed this programme coming from? WHERE WILL THEY GET MONEY TO CONTINUE IT?????

    Man look passport that have to sell????

  5. DA
    April 4, 2017

    What nonsense, who will be paying for this NHI to keep it alive. BVI started that insurance and it’s 7.5% monthly and if your wife, girlfriend ,husband and who ever is not working you have to pay for them. BVI still having problems because it is a lot of money to pay out.

  6. Cee Bee Eye
    April 4, 2017

    Tell us about MONFARED!!!!!
    Tell us about MONFARED!!!!!
    Tell us about MONFARED!!!!!
    Tell us about MONFARED!!!!!
    Tell us about MONFARED!!!!!
    Tell us about MONFARED!!!!!

    • Chief Jacco
      April 4, 2017

      Cee Bee Eye seems to be a mindbender. Many like him believes that fake news can become true if one keeps on repeating statements up to a million times, like “Tell us about Monfared”, “Skerrit must go.” These mindbenders also believe that they are masters of alternate thinking. They invent stories then post and repeat those stories everywhere hoping to catch the innocent ones into believing them.
      Those blue mindbenders will never succeed because it is truth that will set Dominica free.

      • Cee Bee Eye
        April 5, 2017

        Hi. How are you doing? One thing for sure MONFARED was in Dominica. MONFARED was arrested. Even Tony Astaphan indicated MONFARED’s Diplomatic Passport was cancelled. In fact the passport pic was posted on DNO.

        So if that is fake news I give up.

        Maybe you know something about MONFARED Chief Jacco?

  7. Cee Bee Eye
    April 4, 2017

    Let the prayers continue. In the Name of Jesus Christ all you have to day parlay to the bone.

    Which public officers you talking about? Those …………in the top posts at DSS? BE AWARE THAT THESE PEOPLE ARE ON CONTRACT GETTING FAT SALARIES AND ALLOWANCES. THEY ARE NOT IN THE LINE OF FIRE OF ZERO, ZERO, AND ZERO.

    And by the way, how the hell you launching a program like this with so many UNANSWERED QUESTIONS AS TO COSTS?

    You need a place to dump the cee bee eye money and coming up with more nonsense as the days go by. Continue to reward lazy Dominicans and think that will help. More dah rah !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  8. Patriot
    April 4, 2017

    Tell Monfared and Lapseng we want our salary increase

  9. Justice
    April 4, 2017

    And who is going to pay for that now!! I guess the price of VAT will go up !! what else how about the departure tax we pay at the airport !! Something for something with this 5 million dollar budget give away.

  10. tweety
    April 4, 2017

    I am a woman,under 35 with a son under 3. Thank god he is healthy. I am also a civil servant.What I want is an increase in my salary so I can by a real medical insurance for myself and my two kids including the one that is older than 3. I want to feel independent and take care of myself and kids without running to a politician. SO MR PM this one may fool a lot of young girls but it won’t fool me. No thanks.

    • Cee Bee Eye
      April 4, 2017

      I salute you!

  11. Doh test
    April 4, 2017

    And public servants cant get paid:) police officers -0/0/0
    what a joke of a country

  12. I suppose the people who revere Skerrit like a god, is on cloud nine; the think that crap talking is real and make sense; Skerrit National Squat is simply hogwash; here is an insight, of what a national Health Care Service should be like; this is the British system of National Health Care!

    “This article is about the health service in England. For its oversight body, see NHS England.”
    The National Health Service (NHS) is the publicly funded national healthcare system for England and one of the four National Health Services of the United Kingdom. It is the largest and the oldest single-payer healthcare system in the world. Primarily funded through the general taxation system and overseen by the Department of Health, the system provides healthcare to every legal resident in England, with most services free at the point of use. Some services, such as emergency treatment and treatment of infectious diseases are free for everyone, including visitors.

    Free healthcare at the point…

    • Continue:

      Free healthcare at the point of use comes from the core principles at the founding of the National Health Service by the government in 1948. In practice, “free at the point of use” normally means that anyone legitimately fully registered with the system (i.e. in possession of an NHS number), including UK citizens and legal immigrants, can access the full breadth of critical and non-critical medical care without any out-of-pocket payment. Some specific NHS services do however require a financial contribution from the patient, for example eye tests, dental care, prescriptions, and aspects of long-term care. However, these charges are often free to vulnerable or low income groups, and when not free, often lower than equivalent services provided by a private health care provider.

      The NHS provides the majority of healthcare in England, including primary care, in-patient care, long-term healthcare, ophthalmology, and dentistry. The National Health Service Act 1946 came…

    • Finally:

      The National Health Service Act 1946 came into effect on 5 July 1948. Private health care has continued parallel to the NHS, paid for largely by private insurance: it is used by about 8% of the population, generally as an add-on to NHS services.

      The NHS is largely funded from general taxation with a small amount being contributed by National Insurance payments[4] and from fees levied in accordance with recent changes in the Immigration Act.[5] The UK government department responsible for the NHS is the Department of Health, headed by the Secretary of State for Health. The Department of Health had a £110 billion budget in 2013-14, most of this being spent on the NHS.

      Sources do not always make clear if they refer to the whole of the NHS or only to England

  13. April 3, 2017

    Mufarid we will not forget and you will pay for all your lies

  14. I'M NOT PRIME MISTAKE SCARIT CARRYING A DEAD ASS!!!
    April 3, 2017

    I will be blunt and write that this is not a National Health Insurance! A National Health Insurance is supposed to benefit all and not a selected few! This is just a sham and politricksters gimmick to buy the many single mothers trust! We all do know that there’s not a shortage of single mothers on this island,it seems to be the norm with women having children without husband on this island! By the way, how many women with children suffering from health issues and when the money allocated for the programme diminish,where will money be coming from :?:

  15. Ibo France
    April 3, 2017

    Mr. Skerrit, you have been overly generous with your praise for public servants. Your words and your actions with regards to public servants are incongruous, they don’t match. Don’t tell me that you love me, show me. Actions speak louder than words! It’s a fact that most civil servants work hard and many go beyond the call of duty. Then they should be well remunerated for their hard work. Your suggestion of a three-year wage freeze is unreasonable, in fact, heartless. Your actions toward the civil servants show disrespect, disregard and callousness. Instead of negotiating with them in the first instance, you made your loud pontification of no increase for three years. Your soul has to be overly dark to deny these dedicated nationals a thin slice of the pie. Have a conscience man!

  16. RBD Cenemar
    April 3, 2017

    Boy I miss the John Batchelor show because I could see how they would have fun over this one. Let’s get them back on doc. Since after they featured Linton on February 27, they disappeared man or better yet, they got chased out? Even the good Dominica attorney from Maryland, who always use to call Matt show disappeared too. He was so powerful and made me think he was going to get rid of the carbal and they seem to get rid of him first? All we have is big mouth but skerro has his under 35 girls at heart

    • Look It
      April 4, 2017

      Alas zor sot eh

  17. When people have fork tongue, and delusional they talk crap which they do not know what they are talking about.

    One of the definition of the term insurance is: coverage by contract whereby one party undertakes to indemnify, or guarantee another against loss by specific contingency, or perils. It is a means of guaranteeing protection or safety; that includes a person who buys health and property insurance.

    So if the definition as I term it is correct; and Skerrit claims “This program aims to provide assistance!”

    How can that be termed “insurance?”

    What is the difference in that and someone going to the Red Clinic looking for a handout. When one buys health insurance, their medication and treatment are paid for by an insurance company. The insurance company’s are obligated to honor the policy sold to the holder.

    “This program aims to provide assistance to mothers aged thirty-five or younger with children aged three years or younger in need of financial aid…

    • In Ontario we have what is called OHIP, meaning Ontario Health Insurance Program. Only workers who earned more than $20 000.00 pays for it; but through their income payment. However everyone qualifies for that program–that is the only difference what that plan is speaking about–so what is your contention?

      I am also reading all through the article, that this was a move of the “Public Offices” whatever that means; the Prime Minister is simply applauding that move, and has promised a subsidy towards it. Are you sure that you are not being foolish one more time? ?

      • April 4, 2017

        @Graceful&Wise, you are a danm lier, you are misleading Dominicans, stop mixing apples with oranges. Why are you linking the Ontario Health Premium to the Ontario Health Insurance Plan. This$20000 .00 you are referring to is a premium deducted from pay and pensions of those with employment income or pension income of more than $20000.00 a year as part of the Federal and Ontario income tax. This thing Skerrit is implementing in Dominica is none other than his political games period. What anout the single young men/single parents raising children same age group, why not include them as well?, why the discrimination against them?, also grand parents who are raising grand children of the same age group. Swing high swing low Skerrit must go

      • Okay, since you got eight (8) thumbs down, I will give you one feel good thumbs up, so the number 2 thumbs up came from me.

        Now, if ever you say anything nasty about me or Lennox, I will take back my thumb up eh

  18. Under 35 women's competition
    April 3, 2017

    Ok, my new name is ‘under 35 women’s competition’ and Skerro is the only sponsor of that competition. If you are over 35 Skerro disqualifies you from taking part in his competition he sponsors. So good luck 35 and under lol

    • Under 35 women's competition
      April 3, 2017

      Not Skerrit’s competition but Skerrit’ competition, meaning a competition owned by Skerrit.

  19. No free lunch
    April 3, 2017

    So Skerro ladies over 35 not in business? Are they considered too old for ur program? Well, I guess most men prefer to have some fun with ladies under 35 and once they pass 35 they are rejected and parked aside? Ladies let’s make sure we stay under 35 because even our government rejects us once we pass 35

  20. King Skerrit
    April 3, 2017

    Newsflash Skerrt: You are still a public officer. Get into it. #Skerritmustgo

  21. 5%,5%,5%
    April 3, 2017

    Skerritt has and will continue to disrespect Public Officers, who are not recognized for their hard and dedicated work. look at the nurses, the teachers, the firemen, the construction workers, the youth. They all have been made poorer by Skerritt and his cabal. The economy is in shambles. Production of anything is at an all time low or non-existent.

    So in an attempt to soften the Public Officers into accepting his ridiculous 0%,0%,0%, Skerritt now hypocritically praising them.

    Two Years since Erika, Skerritt have Dominicans reeling, then all of a sudden, MANNA from heaven. CBI everything. Madness has taken over.

    We will accept nothing less, we demand our just increases of 5%,5%,5%. All kind of foreigners, criminals getting our diplomatic immunity, Range Development get 15 acres of our Land from Skerritt and his Cabal, passports to sell, millions making, but our own Dominican people have to face hell and beg Skerritt.

    We want our increase NOW

  22. U should beat me sooner
    April 3, 2017

    Here is my personal take ok: Not too long ago it was alleged that a top man from the east arrested three of his male villagers and beat them with whip like donkeys, for stealing his dasheen. That was wrong sir! But it turned out that those men did not steal his dasheen and some hush hush thing had to come in play. So the top man, big as he is, went to his super top brother and decided to build the poor old man a CBI house aka “The dasheen house”, just to keep him quiet. So during a public display the poor old boy said in public that he should have beaten sooner…

    Now if I decided to launch a program just for women 35 years and younger (prime age for…) would that not cause people to wonder if I may have transgressed against 35 and under like the dasheen story, and therefore announce a breaking news to keep everybody happy especially if I know election coming?

    No, nothing happened, just my take

  23. All Fools Day Lies
    April 3, 2017

    “This program aims to provide assistance to mothers aged thirty-five or younger with children aged three years or younger in need of financial aid for critical medical complications.” I don’t see what about this ‘April Day Tricks’ that public officers should be happy about because this thing is full of discrepancy and discrimination. It doesn’t cater for men regardless of age; it doesn’t cater for women over 35, or children older than 3. It is for a select few and Skerrit knows exactly why he rushed it

  24. Same old, same old
    April 3, 2017

    It’s the same old tricks, same old lies and same old deception, wrapped differently this time. We saw it in the renaming of the night landing airport and we also saw it after Baroness Scotland got elected. But at the end of the day most time plane cannot land during the day, let alone knight and we know the Baroness story. Is rush to keep party with no planning. But who will benefit this time? If u are a man regardless of age or illness, a woman over 35, a woman who is not a mother or a child over 3yrs, this “National Health Insurance is NOT for you! It is ONLY “to provide assistance to mothers aged thirty-five or younger with children aged three years or younger in need of financial aid for critical medical complications.” Talk about trix, lies and deception, that’s where they are packaged. Is it that Skerrit has a lot of money that he trying to dispose of or hide, so he dumbed $5 million at the SS office? Only time will tell

  25. %
    April 3, 2017

    This man is making mockery of the most educated citizens on island….He has insulted them by not wanting to give them a salary increase despite the increasingly escalating rise in the cost of living, but he is luring them to forget that, and look at a man who will tarnish Dominica’s name and say that he is an excellent leader? Excellent leader my foot!. Skerrit you are a terrible leader…..DOMINICANS NEED TO BE EMPLOYED.. You do not have a clue as far as employment creation is concerned……
    The money that you are using to buy influence over the country, the same public servants need a salary increase….They need a share of it too. Its our CBI MONEY…This is my question to you when you visit my village.Mr Skerrit when last have you mentioned the names of your two very good friends, MONFARED AND NGLapseng?
    SKERRIT MUST GO!!!!
    SKERRIT MUST GO !!!
    SKERRIT MUST GO NOW!!!!

  26. The Evangelist?
    April 3, 2017

    Whoever is advising Skerrit knows how to play on the minds of the people and I guess also has a good knowledge of the bible. For example, we are in the middle of Lent and lent reminds us of the Temptations of Jesus at a time when he was at a point of need, after 40 days of fasting. In fact I suggest we read the temptation passage today because some of the tricks Satan used back then on Jesus are very familiar to what Skerrit is using today, especially in Matthew 4:8-9.” Then the devil led Jesus to the top of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and all the wonderful things in them. 9 The devil said, “If you will bow down and worship me, I will give you all these things.” Satan wanted Jesus to worship him so he showed him what he has. Skerrit wants vote and knowing how he has impoverished us to the point that we have to beg him for medical assistance, he quickly jumped on that insurance thing. He just works on our needs and emotions for votes

  27. Dr Clayton Shillingford
    April 3, 2017

    To; Parry Bellot Her is quote from Skerrit…We have a cadre and a caliber of public officers in Dominica, of which we can be proud. The dedication and hard work that fueled the coming into being of this project in just a few months, must be replicated across the service if we are to achieve the goals we have set ourselves as a nation, by 2020,” the Prime Minister remarked.

    Did your productivity study support across the board the sentiments expressed here by Skerrit? Is the reluctance to make the report available to the public a result of a divergent view in your report??

  28. Joshua for P M #2
    April 3, 2017

    yet when they perform so creditable we offer them 0,0,0,%

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