Former Senior Medical Officer at the May Pen Hospital in Clarendon, Dr. Winston Dawes
has added his voice to the concern about the Government's free health care
regime.
He says the regime has not been working well since it was implemented nearly a year ago and is overwhelming the system.
"What you've had is that the people who would normally go to see private practitioners and buy their medication now get free medication so they all crowd the hospitals placing the staff under tremendous stress (and) there are also added costs.
"Doctor visits now play a very, very minor role in the management of diseases and now compounding it, we now have less revenue coming in because doctors and pharmacists are making less money so we have increased costs, increased frustration in way of the staff and less revenue coming in, so it's a triple whammy," said Dr. Dawes.
Regime stays - Shaw
Earlier this week, Finance Minister Audley Shaw said the Government was committed to maintaining the free health care regime.
While admitting that there is a challenge posed by the number of persons turning up at public health facilities, Mr. Shaw said this was not cause to abandon the regime.
He noted that the answer to the challenge experienced since the abolition of user fees at the public health facilities, is not to return to what existed before.
The Finance Minister said with the record number of persons now seeking health care, it is clear that they were staying away from medical attention in the past.
Last week, it was revealed that a study that recommended that user fees be abolished only at Primary health care facilities while retaining them at secondary and tertiary institutions.
This proposal was, however, brushed aside by the Ministry that has insisted that the Government will go through with its promise to maintain the abolition of user fees in all public health care facilities.
He says the regime has not been working well since it was implemented nearly a year ago and is overwhelming the system.
"What you've had is that the people who would normally go to see private practitioners and buy their medication now get free medication so they all crowd the hospitals placing the staff under tremendous stress (and) there are also added costs.
"Doctor visits now play a very, very minor role in the management of diseases and now compounding it, we now have less revenue coming in because doctors and pharmacists are making less money so we have increased costs, increased frustration in way of the staff and less revenue coming in, so it's a triple whammy," said Dr. Dawes.
Regime stays - Shaw
Earlier this week, Finance Minister Audley Shaw said the Government was committed to maintaining the free health care regime.
While admitting that there is a challenge posed by the number of persons turning up at public health facilities, Mr. Shaw said this was not cause to abandon the regime.
He noted that the answer to the challenge experienced since the abolition of user fees at the public health facilities, is not to return to what existed before.
The Finance Minister said with the record number of persons now seeking health care, it is clear that they were staying away from medical attention in the past.
Last week, it was revealed that a study that recommended that user fees be abolished only at Primary health care facilities while retaining them at secondary and tertiary institutions.
This proposal was, however, brushed aside by the Ministry that has insisted that the Government will go through with its promise to maintain the abolition of user fees in all public health care facilities.
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