Today, thousands of public servants are left in limbo.
Throughout the day, we reviewed notices circulating across the Public Service confirming that, effective July 3, insurance benefits under the Colina Group Insurance Plan have been suspended until further notice.
Even more troubling, one memorandum reveals that new enrolments were suspended as early as June 15. That raises an obvious question: if the Government knew there was a serious problem weeks ago, why weren’t public servants told? Why wasn’t the country told? And why was there no mention of this during the Budget debate?
Instead of hearing directly from the Prime Minister or the responsible Minister, Bahamians have received little more than a half-hearted social media post from the Director of Communications in the Office of the Prime Minister. There has been no full explanation, no apology to affected workers, and no clear timeline for restoring benefits.
This should never have come to this.
The Free National Movement calls on the Government to immediately:
• Confirm whether premiums or other obligations are outstanding and disclose the full facts;
• Answer why concerns about arrears with Colina persist despite their repeated claims of a budget surplus;
• State exactly how many public officers and their dependents have been affected;
• Restore insurance coverage without delay;
• Explain why public servants were not informed when officials first became aware that benefits were at risk, and;
• Commit to greater transparency so Bahamians learn about financial challenges from their Government before, not after, they suffer the consequences.
Leadership is tested in moments like these.
The Prime Minister must stop hiding behind PR damage control and come clean with the Bahamian people. Public officers who faithfully serve this country deserve honesty, accountability, and the peace of mind that their healthcare will be there when they need it.
Michael C. Pintard, MP
Leader of The Official Opposition
Leader of the Free National Movement