NASSAU, The Bahamas - The Ministry of Health and Wellness staged its First Wellness Symposium to further drive the importance that all have a stake in the physical and mental wellbeing of the country.
The symposium was held on Friday April 11, 2025 at Baha Mar Resort, where the Minister of Health and wellness the Hon. Dr. Michael Darville said that the event was part of the regional push to reduce the incidence of chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
He was pleased to report that the Wellness Unit established in 2023 “is gaining momentum, that the message is getting out to Bahamians, and they are fighting back and taking charge of their own health and wellness.”
Proud of the work done after two years of training and testing programmes, Dr. Darville revealed that his ministry is ready to work closer with private sector partners, and that the Budget will reflect funding towards this end.
Dr. Darville shared that most of the pilot evidence-based programmes, in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), international and regional partners, are near completion.
“In a few months my ministry’s Wellness Unit will be launching additional evidence-based wellness programmes across the country in collaboration with the Healthy Bahamas Coalition (HBC) team, another unit in the ministry aimed at reducing the incidence of non-communicable diseases and saving lives,” he said.
The ministry, along with its international and regional partners continues to assess, adjust and adopt strategies aimed at enhancing medical education, preventive health services, and investment in primary healthcare, with a mandate to improve outcomes across the country.
“From modernizing health protocols that are cost-effective and sustainable to improving manpower resources, to constructing new health facilities in New Providence and throughout the Family Islands, we are demonstrating that healthcare is important to national development,” said Dr. Darville.
This drive, he noted, was demonstrated when the ministry broke ground for the Coconut Grove Advanced Health Centre on April 9, 2025. And in the coming weeks he will launch his ministry’s new integrated healthcare model to improve services and clinical outcomes for patients.
Dr. Darville reiterated that the Health Promotion and Wellness Bill 2025, which he recently tabled in the House of Assembly, for the first time is designed to prioritize health and effect lifestyle changes.
“The reality is if we are going to control non-communicable diseases like diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, cancers and other public health threats, all sectors of the society must unite and tear down the silos that are hindering progress
“Our transformative healthcare agenda continues. Every new policy, programme and partnership brings us closer to a future where every Bahamian enjoys access to quality healthcare, and the opportunity to live healthy and well,” said Dr. Darville.
