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‘People have a right to choose their doctor!’ - Edmund G. Maduro
Maduro was speaking on his EGM Show heard on Thursday night August 20, 2015 on ZROD 103.7 FM.
"Let me remind you of some of the things that have been happening in this country. We have people here who will undoubtedly do serious things to you regardless of their profession, even take your life," he said.
"This is why it is so important for every individual not to be deprived of his right to choose his doctor," he said.
He said that any insurance policy put in place must give persons the right as is the case with private insurance to medical treatment any part of the world.
"But will our National Health Insurance give us that right?" he asked. "This is a serious issue. You have the right to do what you want with your own life," he said. "Nobody can take that away from you because the Constitution gave you that right as one of the first rights," he said.
The NHI stipulates that persons can only seek medical care from a list of recommended medical practitioners.
Meanwhile, approval for coverage for overseas treatment will be determined by a Medical Review Committee.
Other limitations include maternity benefits being restricted to treatment within the Virgin Islands and to a maximum of US$1,500, no overseas out-patient surgical procedures and no coverage for overseas prescription pharmaceuticals.
Less than a week away
The controversial NHI, which is being made mandatory for all working persons in the territory, is less than a week from literally getting off the ground and, according to Deputy Director of the Social Security Board Roy E. Barry, the preparatory process is going according to expectations.
Mr Barry told Virgin Islands News Online that the NHI team is currently testing the registration process to ensure it is working as expected and at the same time is in constant contact with employers ensuring that they are informed on what steps they need to follow to register as an employer and employee.
The scheme is slated to come into full effect in January 2015.
So far, many persons have expressed their scepticism for NHI, including that it will be a burden on their pockets and on employers, who are required to pay a percentage of their employees contributions.
There is also the fear that NHI could have a serious impact on small business due to the mandatory payments by employers.
NHI officials have dismissed these concerns.
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17 Responses to “‘People have a right to choose their doctor!’ - Edmund G. Maduro”
Full disclosure about risks associated with treatment, improper treatment, failure to diagnose(if a competent doctor would not have missed the patients illness and diagnosed a differently which would have led to a better outcome).
Them should literally k**l ayo.
And Mr. maduro, people will still have a right to choose their doctors. there is nothing in the provisions of NHI that will prohibit people from seeing their preferred doctor.
Yes, I am not against the NHI wholeheartedly. If it is properly thought of, it will be a god-sent to many who have absolutely no coverage because of the escalating cost of health insurance. Additionally, people have pre-existing conditions that their current policy does not cover. We have the elderly and those who are paid below minimum wage.
With the NHI, hopefully we wouldn't see people going around with sponsor sheets or help request on newsites for monetary assistance for serious surgeries. It can be beneficial to some people in cases such as these.
Now, I have had a policy for umpteen years. In the last 19-20 years, I have never sat in the office of a local doctor for a check-up. Up to today, if I feel I need to see a doctor, I book my flight and go to P.R. No questions are asked and I do not need any referral. Of course, if I choose a doctor outside of my network, I pay the extra cost. However, that is MY choice. Are you now saying that if I want this same coverage that I am accustom to and happy with using NHI, I have to get a referral from a doctor in the BVI who I have never gone to, to refer me to MY doctor? I pay over $900.00 for the plan for my family. Even if I have to starve, I will keep this plan. But, on the flip side, for NHI I will have to pay $225.00 per month, my wife will have to pay $150.00, while we declare our dependents. It is going to be a strain on the family's resources to pay $1,275.00 for healthcare to keep what we are happy with and to join something that we don't need at this time. NHI should be optional for people who feel they can benefit from it. When our son becomes an adult, if he feels he want to open his own policy or use NHI, then its his decision. God help us