A recently completed telephone study on the public's perception of health care in Bermuda will enable the Ministry of Health and Family Services to better understand how Bermuda's citizens are using the health care system and what they expect from it.

The Ministry announced yesterday that it had commissioned Total Marketing and Communications Ltd., along with their Canadian partners, Corporate Research Associates Inc., to carry out the study in January.

Some 400 participants were asked a range of questions about their perception of the health care system in Bermuda and their experiences with it.

Each survey lasted about 15 minutes and the results from the surveys are being tabulated and analysed for a final report to the Ministry due later this month.

The results from the study will also be used as the basis for a Town Hall meeting on "Public Expectations and Essential Health Services" that the Ministry will host on Thursday, March 3 from 7 p.m. at the Cathedral Hall in Hamilton.

Kevin Monkman, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Health and Family Services, said the study would also assist the Ministry in improving its planning for the future and would ensure that the Ministry got a broad spectrum of views to ensure that even the smallest of voices were heard and recorded.

The study will also serve as a baseline and allow the Ministry to compare the public's perception of health care in Bermuda in the future, to track trends and allow the Ministry to make better judgements about the future of the Island's health policies.

Mr. Monkman said it was critical for the Ministry to have access to reliable information so that wise decisions could be made about Bermuda's health care needs and the needs of the Bermuda health care system.

"The public's perception is always going to be an important source of this information," he said.

Manager of Corporate Services in the Ministry of Health, Luell Todd added that the public perception study and the Town Hall meeting were part of a broader initiative to ensure that the general public can provide input for the Bermuda Health Summit, that will take place on March 23 and 24.

During the health summit, the Minister of Health and Family Services will report on the findings of the study.