Minister of Health and Wellness the Hon. Dr. Michael Darville kicked off the Debate in the House of Assembly on The Older Persons Rights, Protection, Care and Support Bill, 2026 during the morning session of the House of Assembly, October 7, 2026. The Bill is in keeping with the Government’s Blueprint for Progress promise to protect the rights of the elderly throughout the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.
Dr. Darville remarked: “As Minister of Health & Wellness, I am mandated along with other Ministers to help strengthen the legal framework necessary to make this happen. For far too long our seniors are spending their final years in hospital beds, sometimes immuno-compromised due to many forms of chronic non-communicable diseases, not because they are sick, but because their families have no other options for care. This has become a major strain on our public hospitals and a failure of our duty to the generation that helped build this country.”
The government decided to take an evidence-based, multi-ministerial approach to addressing elderly care and support.
In this vein, on September 16, 2026, Dr. Darville tabled before the House the Older Persons Rights, Protection, Care and Support Bill, 2026.
While this Bill was out for public consultation, it attracted more than 800 visits on the Bahamas Laws Online website.
The government also heard from a wide cross-section of the community – from law firms and other professionals, the faith-based community, commentators and advocates, to individual Bahamians and families who have shared their own experiences, concerns and recommendations of which many were incorporated into the version of the Bill before parliament.
“That level of engagement is encouraging, because legislation of this importance should invite scrutiny. It should be questioned. It should be tested against the lived realities of Bahamian families,” Dr. Darville said.
The Bill has nine parts, 77 clauses. It went through extensive consultation and was shared with colleagues in other jurisdictions as well.
“But thanks to the law reform commission, the Attorney General’s office, my team from the Minister of Health & Wellness, Social Services, civil society and competent drafters we have in my view produced a world class piece of legislation,” he said.
The Bill tackles physical, sexual, psychological and financial abuse; provides mechanisms for reporting and investigation; creates care and protection orders; strengthens oversight of residential care; and establishes protection officers.
It also specifically addresses financial exploitation, including misuse of pensions and benefits, coercive transfers of property and unauthorized access to financial resources.
The Bill generated much public discussion, particularly relating to next of kin. And, it also seeks to address willful neglect and abandonment.
“The offence itself is not triggered by mere non-compliance; the Bill deliberately uses the word ‘WILFULLY.’ That word matters,” Dr. Darville stressed.
He noted, “Ultimately, the test of this legislation will not be the number of offences it creates. It will be whether an older Bahamian is safer because we passed it; whether a family is better supported because we passed it; and whether ageing in The Bahamas carries greater dignity because we passed this progressive piece of legislation. That is the purpose of this Bill. That is the responsibility before this House.”
