Horace Dalley (left), Minister of Health, addresses a press conference, held at the Hilton Kingston hotel, yesterday. Looking on is Beverley Needham, chief executive officer of the Bustamante Hospital for Children. The press conference was called to outline the guidelines for free health care for children. - Ricardo Makyn/Photographer

Hospital administrators said they were ready to implement free health care for children under 18, come Monday, and have conducted the relevant training to sensitise their staff.

Children will benefit from charge free access to services such as registration, medication (that are available in the public facilities), surgery, diagnostic services and hospital stay.

"We have been sensitising our staff and have been training cashiers and assistant officers and we have matched the process with our current process flow so it should be fairly easy to implement," Everton Anderson, chief executive officer at Cornwall Regional Hospital, St. James, told The Gleaner, yesterday, following a press conference to outline guidelines for the new policy.

Additional doctor

Beverley Needham, chief executive officer, at the Bustamante Hospital for Children, said in anticipation of the high number of persons who will turn up at the hospital next week, an additional doctor has been put in place to assess children, bringing the number of assessors to two.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Horace Dalley told the press conference, held at the Hilton Kingston hotel, that the Government was to re-allocate money from the National Health Fund to assist parents of children under age 18 to benefit from services, such as the fitting of prosthesis, that are not offered by public hospitals and health centres.

"We will try to find a way to assist parents through a reorganisation of the National Health Fund to buy these things for those who are in need of it," Mr. Dalley said.

"There will be challenges, but we are preparing ourselves for the challenges and we want the cooperation of the public as we implement this very bold step," said Mr. Dalley.

The Bustamante Hospital for Children will see a $100 million shortfall in its budget when free health care for children takes effect. But Mr. Dalley said the Government has budgeted between $350 million and $500 million to fill the gap at the public facilities.

"It is not an easy task, it is a policy which we have taken, it is a bold policy and everybody knows that health care is an issue all over the world," Mr. Dalley said.

He said parents with health insurance for their children are still required to pay the health care fees.

How will the process work?

Visit the public facility and register.

Upon registration, you will receive a bill which will be stamped exempt.

After registration, arrangements will be made for patients to see a doctor.

Parents are required to submit one of the following identification for their children: