Health Minister Rudyard Spencer (right) receives a plaque from Professor Denise Eldermire-Shearer for delivering the third annual Hugh Lawson Shearer lecture as part of the University Diabetes Outreach Programme (UDOP)'s 14th annual international conference held Saturday. (Photo: Keril Wright)

Montego Bay, St James - The health ministry is to hold consultative meetings with members of the medical fraternity regarding the proposed abolition of user fees at public hospitals, following which further announcements about the April 1 changes will be announced this week.

Health Minister Rudyard Spencer said Saturday that the consultations would be exhaustive and will look at the measures that must be in place to ensure a smooth implementation of the changes.

"There is much more to be said on this particular subject," Spencer, who delivered the third annual Hugh Lawson Shearer lecture at the University Diabetes Outreach Programme's (UDOP) annual international conference in Montego Bay said.

However, he said the need for further discussions with these key stakeholders and for them to be the first to be informed, prevented him from making any further announcements, of which they would be made aware through the media.

"Later on this week I will so advise those partners in this venture," he explained, adding "those who are integral parts of this service delivery can't be hearing it on radio".

Among the necessary changes would be an upgrading of primary health care facilities, acquisition of additional personnel and additional expenditure on pharmaceuticals, the minister said.

"All these things must be done and will be done by April 1," he contended.

As such, he said those in the medical fraternity who were key stakeholders in the transformation needed to be an integral part of any discussion and decision-making.

"I have the awesome responsibility and obligation to them (my workers) to ensure that the matter be discussed exhaustively with them and there is a common purpose and a common approach shared by all the partners," he said.
Last week key stakeholders in the sector complained that the impending changes would bring choas to health facilities, which were not equipped to take on the additional responsibilities that would come as a result.

But Spencer contended Saturday that the April 1 changes would ultimately save the government money in the long run.

"I want you to understand that doing this would also save the state some money," he said.

He said the repositioning of primary health care as the indisputable foundation of a good health system would be an integral part of future savings.

"It is true that this initial roll-out might cost some money," he noted. "But if we are able to curb, to contain all these accidents and violence at home that eat off sizable chunks of the Ministry of Health's budget, if we are able to garner a part of those funds to put back into primary care to ensure the quality service that the Jamaican people demand, we will be a far way gone down the road."

He cited the huge costs to the heatlh sector and the savings that could accrue from the prevention of diseases such as diabetes, which costs the country some US$170.4 million.
He praised the combined efforts of the University of the West Indies, the University of Technology and Northern Caribbean University in creating UDOP- headed by Professor Errol Morrison.

The activities of the organisation, which was formed in 1991, includes the annual international conference that provides diabetes updates and training of health care professionals, diabetes outreach clinic, research programmes and renal dialysis services offered at Diabetes Association Jamaica.

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