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Basseterre, St. Kitts, January 03, 2019 (SKNIS): Plans to implement Universal Health Care in St. Kitts and Nevis will advance to another stage with the arrival of actuarial consultants next week.

The two-member team will arrive on Thursday, January 10, 2019, and will be led by Derek Osborne of Morneau Shepell (Bahamas) Ltd. The actuarial consultants will meet with officials from the Ministries of Finance, and Health, as well as the St. Christopher and Nevis Social Security Board. They will work on funding forecasts and projections for the National Health Insurance including setting adequate health care premiums.

Clifford Griffin, Coordinator of the Universal Health Care Secretariat, said that Morneau Shepell is “an established firm with international experience in actuarial consultancy undertakings.”

The company has experience working with several Caribbean islands including Grenada, the British Virgin Islands, and Turks and Caicos. Extensive work was also previously done in St. Kitts and Nevis on behalf of the local social security board, which provided a familiarity on the economic and health realities in St. Kitts and Nevis.

The firm is expected to conclude its work at the end of the month. The findings will be included in the White Paper on Universal Health Care and submitted to the Cabinet for review and eventual approval.

Officials expect the entire process to be completed in the first quarter of 2019.