Health Minister Ronnie Skelton has apologized after admitting last night that some elderly residents were charged for medication at Peebles Hospital.
The action would have been illegal as the law stipulates that seniors, police officers, firefighters, prison officers, and children under 16 years old should not be charged for medication at public health facilities.
When BVI News Online carried the story on Monday, a senior official in the healthcare system confirmed that there was a change in the policy, and the aforementioned categories were no longer exempt.
During a community meeting in Sea Cows Bay Monday evening, Skelton vaguely mentioned the medication situation after an elderly resident sought clarification.
In the House of Assembly last night, the minister eventually admitted that ‘few’ senior citizens were charged for medication.
He said: “I would be the first one to stand here and say mistakes gonna happen, and so mistakes have happened where some seniors were charged for medication, which they were not supposed to be charged for under the law…“A few seniors were charged, Madam Speaker. I apologize for the mistake that happened but, Madam Speaker, it is something that we have to wrestle with if you expect to fix the healthcare system of this country.”
Skelton further stated that his ministry and the BVI Health Services Authority are facing financial challenges as they try to deliver proper healthcare to residents.
The fact that some categories of people are exempt is also having its impact on their purse.
The minister noted that, when the categories were exempted in the 1970s and mid-1970s, the then government did not address issues relating to insurance coverage.
That, Skelton further suggested, has complicated the situation, and has left the government paying more.
He said: “The insurance companies of this country is double-dipping. They are saying that the government exempt them (senior citizens, etc.) so they not going to pay any of the bills at the hospital.
“But the government is paying for these people to be insured – a 50%, a 100% in some cases. So that’s where the mistake – the confusion – is happening, and it’s being solved.”Categories of persons, who were once exempted from paying fees for medication at public health facilities, will now have to fork out the necessary payments here in the BVI.
BVI News Online has confirmed that children and persons over the age of 65 years are no longer exempt from paying.
It is not clear if the new policy implemented by the BVI Health Services Authority will also affect other categories including police officers. It is also not clear if all medications will be affected.
Based on the new initiative, persons without insurance coverage will now be required to pay the fees out of their own pockets.
Highly placed sources said the Health Services Authority has implemented the measure as a means of raking in funds to cover its expenses. The Authority has repeatedly complained about being strapped for funds.
While BVI News Online was able to confirm the virtual demise of the ‘exempt category,’ it was not immediately clear if patients will start paying the fees in full.
