Trudy Simpson, Staff Reporter
MORE THAN 30,000 people have been registered for treatment for 14 illnesses under the National Health Fund (NHF) and 22,000 health cards are ready, the Ministry of Health is reporting.
According to NHF Public Relations manager, Rosemarie Lee, about 10,000 cards have been collected.
But many beneficiaries may have trouble accessing drugs under the system as several pharmacies are still reluctant to sign up with the NHF.
NHF data show that there are 320 private registered pharmacies in addition to public hospitals which also have pharmacies, but that only 80 pharmacies have agreed to participate in the NHF so far.
Speaking with The Gleaner recently, president of the Pharmacy Owners Association, Stephen Delapenha, said that some pharmacies are reticent about signing up because of their view of the Government's payment history and because NHF officials have declined their suggestion to incorporate a penalty for late payments into contracts being offered to pharmacies.
BAD EXPERIENCES
"I suppose a lot of the reticence of people comes from the fact that what they perceive is that they are dealing with a Government agency, and Government does not necessarily have the best payment history. A lot of these people have been in business for a long time and probably have some bad experiences from the past and I suppose they will be guided by their own experiences," Mr. Delapenha said.
The late payment penalty would have been "something akin to the bank rate (or) probably the overdraft rate, because a lot of people when they give credit, it means they have an overdraft to pay at the same time," said Mr. Delapenha. The penalty would have been applied if payments came after 30 days.
When asked about the penalty yesterday, Ms. Lee reiterated that the Government intends to keep the turn around time between submission of a claim and pharmacies being paid to 14 days. She said the system is working and so far, the Government has managed to make payments in as little as seven days.
Mr. Delapenha agreed that the system is working so far, but said that his organisation would keep watch to make sure it remains that way and that pharmacy owners, who are still unsure, should contact his organisation.
