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Health Minister explains free medication issue at Peebles
One resident stated during the government’s NDP on the Road community meeting held in Sea Cows Bay at the Valerie O. Thomas Community Centre last evening, April 29, 2013 that she was concerned about the seniors in the community.
“I understand that when we go to the hospital to be attended to by doctors, we have to pay for our medication. That was not so all the time. I would like to know if that is true or false,” the resident enquired.
Hon. Skelton said there have been ‘complications’ and challenges regarding the issue that were happening at the moment. “We’re trying to work those things out,” the Minister stated.
He explained that under current legislation, seniors are supposed to be given prescription drugs prescribed by doctors at the hospital for free. He also stated that prescriptions given by private hospitals, once available at the Peebles Hospital, are also given out free of cost.
According to Hon. Skelton, “They have had some changes because of the status of the [BVI] Health Services Authority that as a government, we’re trying to make.”
He further stated that the issue of persons being forced to pay for ‘free medication’ was previously addressed and should not be happening.
He cautioned however, “Some of the things that are being sold are over the counter medication…” These, he indicated, were items such as aspirin and cough medication. According to the Health Minister, government was of the view that this type of medication being made available is “a convenience to the people who are accessing medication at the hospital”.
“They are charging for those,” said Hon. Skelton, “but prescription medication, is supposed to be free.”
The issue was also highlighted on BVI Forum with Edmund Maduro on April 27, 2013 when a caller to the CBN Channel 51 programme complained that senior citizens and children were being made to pay for their medication.
An infuriated Maduro said he was going to look into the matter with urgency since legislation needed to be amended before the hospital could have charged for medication for senior citizens and children.
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