Hon Vincent O. Wheatley claps back @ criticisms by Hons Skelton & Penn
The two Opposition legislators criticised the current state of the Health and Social Development sector in the Virgin Islands (VI) while on The Big Story on JTV Channel 55 on March 26, 2025.
Speaking with Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) on March 28, 2025, Hon Wheatley admitted there are deficiencies within his ministry regarding the National Health Insurance (NHI) and the Health Services Authority (HSA).
NHI an 'excellent idea' but reforms were needed a long time ago
HSA came into effect in 2004 while Hon Skelton served as Minister for Health, and in 2016, also with him as Health Minister, NHI came into effect.
According to Hon Wheatley, the idea of NHI was an excellent one, but he said, “A lot of things that should have happened along the way never happened for it to function the way it was intended to function.”
He said that upon taking office as the Minister for Health and Social Development for the first time, he proposed amendments and reforms.
“The reforms started when I was minister the first time, so at least Marlon had an opportunity to continue the reforms; he didn’t do [that]; when I came back as minister…I had to pick up where I had left off and do exactly what they are saying needs to be done.”
Hon Wheatley said the establishment of the Contracts Committee is one such example. It is intended to control the relationship between NHI and HSA, defining that relationship to make it work efficiently.
“That committee was never formed… they never did it, none of them, but I came back to office in 2023, I started a committee, [and] it is now functioning.”
According to Hon Wheatley, the Contracts Committee, after two years is currently finalising this critical aspect, which should be done by April 2025.
Social Services became 'intrusive' under Hon Penn
During the Big Story interview, the process of gaining access to assistance through Social Services was deemed intrusive.
However, Hon Wheatley explained that under Hon Penn’s leadership as Health Minister during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new system was brought in where the government’s discretionary fund was handed over to Social Development, and the criteria to access funds were also changed.
“Yes a lot of persons who I used to give money to when I had the discretionary fund, senior persons, are no longer getting it because they have found the process too intrusive,” Hon Wheatley said.
He admitted that requesting bank account balances, account numbers and who is on these accounts can be considered intrusive.
“With the new public assistance policy, we are trying to streamline that process, where persons wouldn’t have to wait a whole length of time for simple things like food vouchers.”
He added that while the Public Assistance Act is done, what has not been completed are the regulations, which should also be finalised in April.
Issues not new; both had a chance to fix them- Hon Wheatley
Hon Wheatley said the statements by Hon Skelton and Hon Penn do have some level of truth, but they are not new issues.
“I’m not here to bawl about [these things]; I’m here to address these issues, and they are absolutely right, but they had a chance to fix them too,” he stated.
The health and social services sector in the VI is going through major reforms right now, and KPMG is currently working with HSA to progress its vision.
Hon Wheatley said he is not “running away” from these problems that have been identified as he is working to address them.
The ministry’s public relations needs work
Hon Wheatley also admitted that his ministry’s public relations needs to be worked on.
“We do tend to drop in reporting to the public which I intend to fix very soon, because we are doing all these things and the public don’t really hear about them, then when these guys go on radio to say a,b,c, everybody thinks that is the reality and that’s not true.”
The reality, he said, is that the work being done is not reported to the public.
Hon Wheatley reiterated, “The problems did precede me, but my job while I am here is to advance the solutions to the problems identified, and we are on our way to do such.”
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16 Responses to “Hon Vincent O. Wheatley claps back @ criticisms by Hons Skelton & Penn”
■ WOULD YOU BE KIND ENOUGH TO ENLIGHTEN US , AND PLEASE BE TRUTHFUL
wit de clap
of the Ronnie and Marlon
Attack
These two disingenuous individuals have suddenly woken up—not out of principle, but out of desperation. They failed to maintain a quorum, lost not one, but two members to the VIP, and then had their own opposition members essentially declare them ineffective by breaking away to form an alliance. And yet, we are now supposed to believe that they are capable of leading The Territory?
This is not about vision or leadership of the Health and social Welfare -they both had the opportunity and either maintained the status quo (Penn) or in the case of Skelton developing a scheme to enrich his friends . This is about scrambling to hold onto power because they see their opportunity slipping away. The real tragedy in all this is that there will still be gullible people who fall for the rhetoric. But more and more are waking up to both of these so called Leaders.
It is much less intrusive to just give Vincent a bag of money!
Since the start of the NHI this has cost the BVI people close to $1 Billion in funding since the start in 2014.
Can you imagine what could have been paid for with $1 Billion for 30,000 persons in the BVI?
No one talks about it because it is another Nature's Little Secret!