Work has begun on the long-awaited Health Council, which could provide the key to decreasing the cost of health care.

Two people have been assigned to begin putting the Council together at the Ministry of Health, Permanent Secretary Kevin Monkman said yesterday.

He expected they will be providing Minister Patrice Minors and himself with some preliminary proposals for who should be on the Council within the next few weeks.

Shadow Health Minister Michael Dunkley questioned the status of the Council in the House of Assembly on Friday night.

The Bermuda Health Council Act 2004 provides for a coordinating body for the Island?s health care services.

The Council will have wide-ranging functions, including monitoring health care service costs, utilisation and performance, promoting wellness programmes, arbitration of disputes in the health care industry and making policy recommendations.

One of its first priorities will be to define essential health care services for the Island and how Government and the medical community ensures their delivery.

Yesterday, Mr. Monkman said the formation of the Council was still in the very early stages.

Those working on the formation of the Council are also working on the Health Summit to be held in March, 2005, he said. The summit will be a two-day gathering of decision makers in both the public and private health sectors, who will hopefully come to several agreements over some important health issues.

The results could help to determine what the Health Council should be focusing on, Mr. Monkman said.

?It is being held to encourage a collaborative approach and show that everyone is on the same page. It?s an integral part of developing the Council.?

The summit, a joint initiative between the Ministries of Finance and of Health, is nearly organised, Mr. Monkman said, while the Health Council is still in the beginning stages.

The Health Council Act is very broad, Mr. Monkman said, and those working on the formation of the Council are looking at further developing its guidelines.

He was reluctant to put a date on when the Council would be formed, saying the Ministry wants to consult as widely as possible, as well as to ensure finances are in order and deal with any unexpected hurdles before it can be firmly established.

With health care costs continuing to rise and no end in sight, several decision makers in the industry are looking towards the Health Council to unite the industry: insurers, hospitals, doctors, Government and the private sector.

?Right now, it?s a bit like a circus,? BF&M CEO Glenn Titterton said in a recent interview with The Royal Gazette. ?You have competing interests, all trying to do the right thing, but clashing, and there?s no central organisation taking charge.?

Doctors? offices, which are far more business-like than in days gone by, want to increase their fees; drug companies want to make a profit; the private sector sees the potential for profit and begins to offer services which become competition for the hospital.