The Bermuda Health Council has released details on its financing and operations after coming under fire from a pharmacist sceptical of its role as a “competent, fair health regulator” for the island.

Ricky Brathwaite, the chief executive of the council, commented in response to Denis Pitcher, who with his spouse owns My Pharmacy LLC, after Mr Pitcher questioned the oversight of the health council in a statement to The Royal Gazette.

Accusing the regulator of operating with impunity, Mr Pitcher asked whether the impending hike of nearly $40 a month to the Standard Health Benefit premium, effective from April 1, would get mirrored by the council after its own fees were quietly “tripled without legislation or debate” on the last occasion — as shown in the council’s 2021-22 annual report.

Mr Pitcher also faulted late accounting by the council from “2023 onwards” while he claimed the watchdog group’s staffing had “exploded from eight in 2016 to 24 in 2026”.

He queried how the health council spent its allocation as it drew up “a health provider and pharmacy inspection regime that would look more at home in a country of 60 million than 60,000”.

The council came under criticism last month from the pharmacist, who branded its drug and medication formulary unfair and bureaucratic.

Dr Brathwaite responded that the regulator was tasked with overseeing a healthcare system with more than $800 million in annual expenditure using “a relatively small team responsible for licensing, regulatory oversight, system analysis and health system improvement”.

The CEO said its budget represented “less than half of 1 per cent of the health system it oversees” — and insisted that its allocation from the Mutual Reinsurance Fund “has not changed since 2021 and will not increase this year”.

He added: “The council will, however, receive an additional $250,000 ministry grant to support the IT development of organ transplant registries, portals and disease registries aimed at improving the co-ordination of care for patients.

“Regarding financial reporting, the council is completing the 2023-24 external audit, and we acknowledge that publication is running approximately one year behind schedule. This delay arose following the island-wide cyber incident that affected a number of public systems and audit processes.

“In the meantime, the council’s financials continue to be reviewed regularly through detailed reporting to the board, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance, and remain subject to the statutory audit and governance requirements that apply to public authorities. The accounts will be published upon completion of the audit process.”

Dr Brathwaite also responded to the question mark raised over the BHC’s administrative allocation linked to the Standard Health Benefit premium.

He said: “From 2014, the council received a $1 administrative allocation within that framework.

“In 2019, the council also began administering the Innovation Fund, which supported community health initiatives. Following the 2018 transfer of several health service registration functions from the Office of the Chief Medical Officer to the health council, the organisation began preparing to absorb those additional regulatory responsibilities.

“In 2021, the operational transfer from the Mutual Reinsurance Fund to support the council’s regulatory and system oversight responsibilities was updated from $1 to $3.06.

“The total allocations managed by the health council have not changed since 2021, and premium levels [including the MRF] themselves are determined through the statutory process involving Government and are not independently set by the council.”