Waiver System to be introduced for Secondary Health Care

Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, has informed that the Government will retain the no user fee policy at the level of the primary health care system, such as clinics.

“A waiver system will be introduced at the secondary/tertiary care level to allow for patients who are assessed as having the ability to pay to be billed and charged, in keeping with the prescribed fee schedule,” Dr. Ferguson said.

The Minister, who was responding to questions posed by Opposition Spokesperson on Health, Dr. Kenneth Baugh, in the House of Representatives on February 14, also noted that the waiver system will allow for the identification of those patients who are exempt from paying the prescribed fees.

Dr. Ferguson further informed that the waiver system existed prior to the 2008 abolition of user fee policy.

“Admittedly, weaknesses were identified with that system, including the less than satisfactory relationship that existed between staff and patients in some instances. The Ministry will seek to improve on that system starting with the introduction of the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) health card, which will provide a mechanism for the pre-assessment of patients,” the Health Minister said.

He noted that the GOJ health card will allow the health service to generate income from private health insurance companies and to improve the monitoring of the use of resources to prevent abuse.

 “It is my considered opinion that the introduction of an effective waiver system will significantly reduce the possibility of user fees creating a financial barrier to access to hospital care, remove the possibility of the poor incurring debt to hospitals as well as the postponement of medical treatment as a result of lack of ability to pay,” Dr. Ferguson said.      

“The waiver system is intended to ensure that no one will be refused care because of an inability to pay, as we cannot afford to undermine the fundamental principle of universal access to health care. Those who can pay should be required to pay. Those who cannot afford to pay, the State has an inescapable obligation to cover the cost associated with the care,” he added.

In the meantime, Dr. Ferguson said the Government has articulated public/private partnership in the provision and delivery of health care as one of six principles on which its health policies are based.

“The Government acknowledges that the achievement of universal access to health care will not be realised without the participation of the private players in the provision of health services. A benefit of such collaboration is greater access to the more modern technologies that are available in the private health sector,” the Minister said.

He pointed out that one way of ensuring effective participation is through public/private sector collaboration, while noting that it is important to establish the policy framework, which will set the parameters within which the partnerships can be pursued.

Such a framework, he said, would determine, among other things, any legal/regulatory provisions that would be required for specific private/public partnership; the criteria for selecting the areas of partnership; transparent, competitive procurement and orderly proceedings; systems of audit and evaluation; and a credible and efficient administrative mechanism to monitor the partnerships to ensure that the public interest is protected, and to prevent exploitation.

“This framework is expected to be in place by the end of the first quarter in the new fiscal year,” Dr. Ferguson said.

By Latonya Linton, JIS Reporter