HEALTH Minister Horace Dalley says the government is experiencing difficulty recovering portions of the $700 million worth of service that diagnostic centres are required to give back to the administration under its deferred duties regime.

The deferred duties regime was introduced by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Finance Ministry to reduce the cost of health care for person who are not able to afford it. It involves the exchange of free service by the diagnostic centres in exchange for the cost for custom duties on equipment the facilities bring into the country.

“There are some people who have not lived up to their obligation since we started the agreement with them.,” the minister said yesterday. He was speaking at a function to commission a CT scanner at Andrews Memorial Hospital in Kingston yesterday. “It is like pulling teeth when you have send a patient to [some institutions], even though [at] one (facility) we have deferred almost $20 million worth of duty.

You have to be fighting with them even though they did not pay the duties and still owe the government the duties.”

According to Minister Dalley, the ministry has set up a meeting with the private diagnostic centres that have reneged on their obligations to address the matter.

He said, however, that he was committed to partner with institutions that have a “conscience to ensure that we can deliver a better health care” under the regime.

At the same time, Dalley encouraged the Andrews Memorial Hospital – run by the Seventh Day Adventist Church – to join the Health Ministry in promoting a healthy lifestyle.

He also reiterated that the ministry was taking steps to modernise the country’s medical facilities and improve customer service.

“We need to really say to all the institutions that serve the people, let us step up the standard of service to them…” he said.

Meanwhile, Dr Joy Bogle Taylor, radiologist at Andrews Memorial said the single slice CT Scanner valued at US$137,000 will enable the hospital to keep down the cost of the services it offers. The basic cost for the brain CT scan is $15,000 and increase to as much as $20,000 depending on the type of scan done.

Dr Patrick Allen, the hospital’s CEO, said the CT scan would ensure that patients will no longer have to be transported to a diagnostic centres, which can be hassling.