BAHAMAS — Dr. Michael Darville, the Health and Wellness Minister, announced that final figures for the Catastrophic Health Care Fund are undergoing an audit and will be released publicly after verification. These figures will also be tabled in Parliament once the audit is complete.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness is verifying the number of approved applicants who received money from the fund. Preliminary figures indicate that more than 700 people have benefited from the fund, which the Davis administration launched in 2024 to assist Bahamians with costly, life-saving medical treatments not covered by the public healthcare system.

During the House of Assembly's budget debate, Member of Parliament for Long Island, Dr. Andre Rollins, questioned Dr. Darville about the percentage of applicants who had received assistance from the fund and what share of the country's need the fund's allocation addresses. Dr. Darville noted that some individuals approved for assistance do not travel for treatment, and some applicants die before their applications are completed.

In April 2024, former Health Minister Dr. Duane Sands stated that while he supported the fund, key details remained unclear. Sands questioned eligibility criteria and how decisions were made.

Darville said in a media interview, "People will approach me and say, 'Listen, I need to do this particular life-changing procedure in the United States', and they never go, and so our numbers must be verified by the public treasury for where the resources went, and so there's an audited component versus just plain numbers."