Health professionals were ordered to leave their differences at the door and put Bermudians first as the long-awaited Health Summit kicked off yesterday morning at the Fairmont Southampton Princess.

“There are lots of reasons why we should not be able to work together in this room... If that is our approach, something is terribly wrong with us,” Dr. Reed Tuckson, senior vice president of consumer health and medical care advancement at the US-based UnitedHealth Group told stakeholders, including representatives from the Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB), the insurance industry, private health care providers, the Premier, Cabinet Ministers and Opposition MPs.

Health concerns life and death, “preventable human suffering and misery,” he said. “When that is your concern, you have no other concerns.

“If you are just concerned about your piece of the pie, you ought not to be here...

“Your challenges (in Bermuda) are not so different from everyone else. It's very, very scary - this is a tough time and it will get tougher.”

While provisions in the Health Council Act for the regulations and licensing of healthcare providers might make physicians nervous, Dr. Tuckson said the best way to fight over-regulation was to get on board. “You're threatened? Participate and fill the vacuum with a profession that fills the requirements of the society.”

“We are beginning our metamorphism,” Health Minister Patrice Minors said in her opening remarks to the summit. “The over-arching goal of this summit has to be collaboration.”

The BHB's Estate Master Plan, expected within weeks, will have a significant impact on healthcare in Bermuda, while Mrs. Minors announced a review is being done of the Health Department to ensure it can sufficiently support the newly-passed Health Council Act. “We expect the Health Council to be operational within the 2005/06 fiscal year,” Mrs. Minors said. Healthcare reform must be a never-ending, constantly evolving process based on reliable information, she added.

However, a baseline is needed to measure progress, and Mrs. Minors said information from several different surveys is being combined to form that baseline, giving stakeholders an idea of what gaps need to be filled.

So far that includes an opinion survey involving 400 participants and conducted by Total Marketing, the town hall meeting held earlier this month, and two studies conducted using Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) guidelines which took both qualitative and quantitative measurements of Bermuda's healthcare system.

The information gathered has shown that, in general, people believe Bermuda has a good healthcare system, Mrs. Minors said.

However, the studies also all agree that some fundamental changes need to be made, targeting: efficiency/effectiveness, the quality of the accessible healthcare available, cost, co-ordination between Government and non-government organisations (NGOs), and the resources available.

Large concerns expressed including caring for seniors, and whether insurance policies will be able to provide people with sufficient coverage in the future.

“Government's pledge is that Bermuda should work for all of its residents,” Mrs. Minors declared.

Dr. Tuckson, who trained with Deputy Premier Ewart Brown (also present at the Summit yesterday), quoted the World Health Organisation (WHO), declaring that “health” is far more than just the absence of disease. “Health is a state of complete physical, social, and mental well-being.”

While people can and do make their own lifestyle choices - such as whether or not to exercise, eat properly, smoke and so on - healthcare providers can create the necessary conditions for health and well-being, he said.

“Government cannot and should be doing all the work themselves,” he added.

Buy-in must be had from the entire community - churches, community clubs and organisations, and any other groups must also co-ordinate with healthcare providers. “Every country has resources. How can health leaders work with others to mobilise their assets?”

The patient, he added, must come first. The days of hospitals and doctors declaring themselves unquestionable, supreme authorities are over and will never return. “We have to have information and feedback about how well we are doing... Give good doctors good information and they will improve.”

Emphasising Mrs. Minors' theme of collaboration, Dr. Tuckson called on stakeholders to co-ordinate the pieces of the puzzle. “Wherever you are in this mosaic, don't get myopic.”

Yesterday, the summit attendees also heard from panellists discussing the critical role of healthcare and healthcare challenges. Western regional consultation manager for the Child Welfare League of America Jeffrey Bormaster provided the keynote speech on “Establishing Partnerships in Service”, which The Royal Gazette was unable to attend.

Tomorrow, the final day of the summit, attendees will hear from Finance Minister Paula Cox on “The Importance of Getting it Right” and an address from Dr. Ruben Suarez of PAHO on “Balancing Costs and Social Responsibility”. They will also hear from panellists on the challenges facing the financing of healthcare - a large concern as healthcare costs continue to skyrocket.