Healthcare in the British Virgin Islands

On Anegada, Virgin Gorda and Jost Van Dyke, there are day clinics to serve non-emergency medical needs of residents of those islands.

[4] User fees are estimated to recover just 8% of the operating costs of primary and secondary health care services.

Because of limited resources and problems of economies of scale, public health authorities will sometimes send critical cases overseas for treatment at larger facilities.

In practice because of the large number of migrant workers who leave the Territory before claiming benefits, the scheme is heavily over funded.

The Social Security Board (SSB) also has the ability to make ex gratia payments in case of need for uninsured persons requiring serious medical care.

Since approximately 2005 various British Virgin Islands governments have considered and commissioned studies into a proposed National Health Insurance (NHI) system.

The concept has broad cross party support, and is seen as a way of alleviating the cash-drain caused by underwriting public health expenditure.