WELL DONE PARLIAMENT ON THE OLD PEOPLE’S BILL

Party Chairman Fred Mitchell said that when he was born in 1953 in The Bahamas, the life expectancy at birth of a male child was 50 years of age. Today a male child in The Bahamas can expect at birth to live to be 70 years old.  That is a 20 year increase in life expectancy due largely to great health care and better food and nutrition and health care generally. He was speaking in the House of Assembly on the Bill to provide Protections for Older Persons, defined in the bill as those who are over 65 years of age. The House passed the bill unanimously on Wednesday 7 October 2026. In doing do, Mr. Mitchell paid tribute to the following nonagenarians: Sir Arthur Foulkes who is 98, Sir Orville Turnquest who is 97, Isaac Bain of Fox hill who is 95, Norwood Rahming who is 91, Beverly Wallace Whitfield who is 99.  The fact is that throughout the region the age profile of the population will reflect more and more people of advanced years. Mr. Mitchell has been a lone voice in the wilderness crying out on the implications of this for healthcare, for pensions and for work and recreation. The Parliament has now acted. Congratulations.