Every Bermuda resident will be provided with basic and essential healthcare by 2013, under a revolutionary National Health Plan unveiled today.Health Minister Zane DeSilva said the plan would introduce wide-ranging and profound reforms to the Island's health care system.The plan aims to make healthcare more affordable and improve access and quality care.It identifies eleven goals, to be implemented in the next two to five years, which ensures healthcare is both equitable and sustainable.The National Health Plan 2011 pledges to ensure basic and essential care for 100 percent of Bermuda's residents.It also aims to ensure that basic coverage includes urgent physical and mental health care, hospitalisation, primary care, preventative care and maintenance.The plan will make sure health coverage contributions are based on ability to pay, thereby ensuring fair access to healthcare.Currently the Island compares well with other countries in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in terms of life expectancy, infant mortality rates and access to health care.But it fares poorly in terms of ensuring all residents have health insurance coverage for a core set of services.An estimated 90 to 95 percent of people have at least basic coverage in Bermuda, whereas most OECD countries provide 100 percent coverage.Mr DeSilva said: “‘A community is judged by the way it treats its weakest members. This is so in all aspects of physical, emotional and social wellbeing.“For this reason, it is essential that we treat health and healthcare as fundamental human rights. It is not befitting of a fair and humane society to treat health care as a privilege of employment or as welfare for the poor.“It must be a right endowed equally on every resident based on need. This National Health Plan sets the stage for this renewed direction for Bermuda's health system.”Other health sector goals include:* Streamlining use of overseas care to efficiently meet the needs of the population.* Mechanisms to pay healthcare providers and ensure optimal quality to patients and maximum efficiency to the health care system.* An integrated health IT system shall be established throughout the health sector to improve efficiency and quality.* Implement strategies to meet the healthcare needs of people with chronic illnesses, and physical, cognitive and mental disabilities.* The quality of healthcare provisions shall be monitored and regulated.* Introduction of health technology shall be regulated to ensure proper level and mix of resources to efficiently meet the health care needs of the population.* Health professionals and organisations shall assure the promotion of healthy lifestyles and maintenance of health conditions.Mr DeSilva added: “Healthcare should not be regarded as a privilege of employment or as welfare for the poor. This must be a right endowed equally on every resident based on need.“We have had 15 healthcare reviews in the past 15 years, which have highlighted some of the weaknesses in our health system.“In addition, the recent report, ‘Health in Review’, has provided evidence of some of our strengths and challenges.‘The conclusion is our health system has served us well for 40 years, but it is no longer enough.“A quality, equitable health system does not have to be more expensive, it just needs to be smarter.“I would like to say that I hope the public and all the players in the health system, and I would like to emphasise all, will read the consultation paper and provide feedback. We need a community effort to get the reforms right for Bermuda."Useful websites: www.gov.bm, www.oecd.org