By Dionne Rose, Staff ReporterTHE MINISTRY of Health, through the National Health Fund (NHF), will be increasing the subsidies on pharmaceutical items that are covered under the fund, from 25 per cent to between 35 and 50 per cent effective November 1.
In addition, the fund will also be adding more than 250 new pharmaceutical items, representing more than 70 drugs at a cost of $25 million to $30 million.
John Junor, minister of health, made the announcement Thursday at a media luncheon at the Courtleigh Hotel, New Kingston. "The expansion of the prescription items to over 800 and the increase in subsidy, which goes from 35 per cent to 50 per cent, mean that access to medical treatment will, in fact, be improved and patients and their doctors now have a greater choice," he said.
DECISION
According to Mr. Junor, the ministry made the decision to increase the subsidies and the number of drugs covered because the public was complaining that the drugs that were prescribed were not being covered by the NHF. The minister also said he hoped that the increase in subsidies and the number of drugs covered would encourage more persons to get registered under the NHF.
"I anticipate that this increase in subsidies will spur more patients with chronic conditions to seek consistent treatment, and to, more importantly, comply with their medication regime as the item should become more affordable," the minister said. Mr. Junor said despite the significant public education campaign, registration for the NHF has not kept pace with the estimated number of persons who were suffering from the chronic conditions.
CHRONIC DISEASES
To date, the minister said only 140,000 persons living with chronic diseases were registered for the Jamaica Drug for the Elderly Programme (JADEP) and the NHF. "We are somewhere in the region of about 47,000 people out of mark ..." Junor said.
The chronic disorders covered by the NHF are arthritis, asthma, breast cancer, diabetes, epilepsy, glaucoma, high cholesterol, hypertension, ischaemic heart diseases, major depression, prostate cancer, psychosis, rheumatic fever, heart disease and vascular disease.
