PRIME Minister P J Patterson says the much-touted new health plan for approximately 80,000 National Insurance Scheme (NIS) pensioners would cost $306 million in its first year, with projected annual increases to meet the needs of the country’s aging population.

The programme, Patterson reiterated, would provide pensioners with a range of health benefits, including hospitalisation, diagnostics, surgical services, dental, optical and doctor’s visits. It will also cover the cost of some prescription drugs.

“The challenge for our policy makers is to devise measures that ensure sprovision for this section of our population,” Patterson told last Friday’s official launch of the Government’s ambitious National Health Fund (NHF) at the National Arena in Kingston.

At present, approximately 267,000 persons, about 10 per cent of the population, are in the over 60 age group. Projections are that by 2025, this figure will increase to 471,000 persons, or about 15 per cent of the population.

The NHF, he said, would assume responsibility for the plan. It will in fact complement the NHF, and as obtains under the fund, health cards will be issued to beneficiaries.

In a previous interview, state minister in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Senator Floyd Morris told the Observer that the plan would have come into effect by the end of October.

“The plan will come to fruition by the end of the month,” Morris had said.

But on Friday, Patterson made no mention of the start-up date.

However, he reiterated that it was designed to provide assistance to persons of all ages with a portion of the cost for all medication for the 14 most prevalent chronic diseases affecting the country’s population.

“The team led by the minister of health and the chairman of the fund has put in a great deal of work and now the fund is up and running with just under 40,000 beneficiaries already registered and receiving their benefits,” Patterson said.

Health Minister John Junor, who also addressed the launch, noted that more than 70 drugs are available for the 14 chronic illnesses covered under the NHF.

The programme will initially cover persons with chronic illnesses such as arthritis, asthma, cancer of the breast and prostate, diabetes, epilepsy, glaucoma, high cholesterol, hypertension, heart disease, psychosis, rheumatic fever, vascular disease and major depression.

Patterson said that Government decided that something had to be done after a recent research highlighted the negative impact chronic disease had on the nation’s productivity and national health costs.

“Using the internationally recognised classifications,” said Patterson, “it has been concluded that non-communicable diseases account for 60 per cent of our total disease burden. Of this population, 62 per cent will die prematurely, that is, not attain their life expectancy, and 58 per cent will incur a disability, if something is not done to address the problem.”

Patterson said the official discussions on non-budget financing of health services went as far back as the 1960s, when the NIS was being designed and also in the 1980s, but that the implementation eluded the country.

However, “in April of 1997, the Green Paper entitled a National Health Insurance Plan was tabled in the House of Parliament, aimed at covering all residents of Jamaica for a stipulated package of medically necessary services”, Patterson said.

After consultations with key stakeholders such as the Medical Association of Jamaica, the Jamaica Employers’ Federation, trade unions, the Pharmaceutical Society of Jamaica, pharmacy owners, health-care providers, non-governmental organisations, the wider community and protracted debate in Parliament, the programme unofficially started in June this year.