Patients 1st is a weekly column where the Bermuda Medical Doctors Association answers your questions about the proposed Bermuda Health Plan 2020 and how it may impact you and your family

It’s almost Christmas and this week we wanted to be thankful. Today’s question on healthcare reform focuses on what is going well within our present system.

Over the past few months it sounds like there is nothing positive in our current system. This is the time of year we need to pause and be grateful for what we may have overlooked.

Here are the top five reasons to be proud of our current system based on statistics sourced from the Pan American Health Organisation and the Bermuda Government.

1, Bermuda consistently ranks in the top three countries worldwide for achieving the lowest infant mortality rates.

2, Bermuda also ranks in the top three countries worldwide for maternal health.

3, Bermuda has not experienced any critical health problems related to emerging and re-emerging diseases, neglected diseases and other poverty-related infections, or tuberculosis.

4, Emergency room visits for asthma have decreased versus increases in similar jurisdictions.

5, Bermuda is one of the only developed countries worldwide to have flattened the curve of rising obesity rates.

So we have a lot to be thankful for. Our 2020 focus should be: covering the 3,329 residents without insurance — about 6 per cent of the population — and identifying the citizens who are sick or vulnerable and getting them the healthcare that they need, while continually striving for excellence within our framework.

When a remote island with a tiny population can be in the top three in some of the most important healthcare dynamics, and achieve an estimated life expectancy of 81 years, we should stop, pause and reflect.

This is a phenomenal achievement given the financial problems people are facing in this country. Let’s be healthy, let’s be mindful. Enjoy your family. In good health.

• lThe Bermuda Medical Doctors Association is a local body of physicians that represents the concerns of community physicians working directly for the welfare of the doctor-patient relationship. Over the past five years, the BMDA has grown to more than 75 physicians, which represents the majority of community doctors on the island