“Decisive actions” on healthcare will boost benefits to seniors, the health minister said.

Kim Wilson outlined measures to strengthen healthcare accessibility and enhance patient outcomes.

On Friday, David Burt, the Premier and Minister of Finance, announced the elimination of a one-year waiting period for Personal Home Care benefits under the Health Insurance Programme and FutureCare.

Ms Wilson said the move was a transformational change for seniors and families.

At a post-Budget press conference at the Cabinet Office, Ms Wilson said the adjustment gave immediate financial relief, supported ageing with dignity and helped reduce hospital readmissions and healthcare costs.

She said a number of factors contributed to the waiting period.

“It was largely due to sustainability. We recognised that it is a benefit that many individuals were looking to be able to avail themselves of,” she added.

“We recognise there is an increase in the ageing population. We want to keep people living longer at home and ageing in place with dignity.”

She said the Government had taken proactive steps to ensure that financing was in place to increase the benefit and remove the waiting time.

The charity Age Concern welcomed the move. A spokeswoman called it a “very positive and much needed step”.

She added: “This change will directly benefit newly enrolled members who may find themselves in immediate need of support and it reflects a compassionate, practical response to the realities many seniors and their families face.”

Age Concern said its team had given supplemental assistance to seniors caught in the coverage gap over the years.

The charity said some were aware of the delay in benefits, while others were confused and distressed by the lack of clarity.

“It is therefore reassuring to see this issue addressed in a way that prioritises the wellbeing and dignity of our ageing population,” the spokeswoman said.

Age Concern also backed the increases in prescription drug coverage.

The Premier announced on Friday that the HIP coverage would rise from $1,000 to $3,000, while the annual FutureCare limit would go from $3,000 to $5,000.

The charity said: “These adjustments will bring much needed financial relief. Age Concern frequently supports individuals who exhaust their medication coverage before the end of the policy year, often leaving them in distress during critical times.

“This change is a clear acknowledgement of the growing cost of medications and the challenges many face in maintaining their health on fixed incomes.”

Ms Wilson said the adjustment ensured more people got “the care that they deserve”.

Mr Burt’s Budget Statement allocated $245.4 million to the Ministry of Health, an increase of $45 million or 22 per cent compared with last year.

Ms Wilson said the sum included $177 million for King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute.

A Bermuda Hospitals Board spokeswoman said that since government payments made up about 97 per cent of the board’s revenue, it was grateful for the $22 million in operational funding and a $6.6 million capital grant.

She added: “We will still need to make internal savings and will continue to need credit facilities to support our operations this year to ensure safe and high-quality services are delivered.

“We look forward to continuing to have positive dialogue with government and are confident there will be a collective agreement on ways to ensure our long-term sustainability.”

The BHB welcomed investments to improve access to home care for FutureCare and HIP clients, as well as expanding the Sylvia Richardson care home and replacing Lefroy House.

The spokeswoman said: “This could be important over the long term by helping us discharge patients.

“The fully covered annual examination and increased prescription coverage will also hopefully help people identify and manage chronic illnesses early.

“This could also reduce the number of people attending Emergency over the long term.”

On Friday, Linda Smith, the Shadow Minister of Youth, Social Development and Seniors, suggested that the Government should place dementia care programmes under the mandate of the Ministry of Health.

She said although the seniors ministry had provided meaningful support for dementia-related initiates, the non-governmental organisation, Dementia Bermuda, believed placing responsibility for dementia outside the Ministry of Health’s mandate made it more difficult to position dementia as an urgent healthcare issue.

However, Ms Wilson said it was not “unusual” for dementia care to be led by the ministry responsible for seniors.

She said both ministries were part of Cabinet meetings.

She added: “It is not unusual for that to be the case where discussions take place at the Cabinet table and one ministry takes the lead.”