A planned framework would allow the Government to review how changes to Bermuda’s healthcare may impact patients, access to care, costs or the wider system before implementation.

The proposed structure reflects the Minister of Health’s commitment to protecting public interest and making sure that major healthcare decisions are assessed not only from a commercial perspective but also for their impact on the island’s people, a spokeswoman said.

It will would allow the Bermuda Health Council to review “significant healthcare changes” under a defined criterion to also assess quality, competition and sustainability.

The spokeswoman added: “Following that review, the final decision on whether a proposed change may proceed would rest with the Minister of Health.

“This establishes a clear system of accountability — the health council provides independent, evidence-based assessment, while the minister retains responsibility for the final decision in the public interest.”

Kim Wilson, the health minister, said: “We welcome innovation, investment and responsible change when they strengthen healthcare and improve outcomes. But when significant changes have the potential to affect access, affordability, patient choice or the wider stability of our health system, the Government must have the ability to step in, examine the implications and protect the public interest.

“Our residents should never be an afterthought when major decisions are made about their healthcare — our health system must work for everyone, not simply for the largest or most powerful interests within it.”

Ricky Brathwaite, the chief executive of the health council, noted: “Bermuda’s healthcare system exists first and foremost to serve the people of this country.

“We should welcome innovation, investment and philanthropy where they improve lives, but major healthcare decisions must also be considered in the context of the wider system.

“Advance review is about understanding the consequences of significant change before they become difficult to reverse and keeping the people of Bermuda at the centre of the decisions that shape their healthcare.”

The spokeswoman added: “[The] Government is also advancing stronger competition and anti-monopoly protections to ensure that excessive concentration of market power does not undermine patient choice, fair competition or access to care.”

Ms Wilson voiced a commitment to ensuring that the Government has the “tools necessary to protect our residents when changes within our healthcare system could have consequences far beyond a single organisation”.

She added: “We will act decisively in the public interest — we will examine the findings, listen to the people affected and, where necessary, use the authority of government to protect the public interest.

“Healthcare exists to serve people — that principle must remain at the centre of every major decision that shapes Bermuda’s health system.”