Public hospital administrators say they do not expect a crush of patients today as the Government’s free health care policy for children under age 18 comes into force. However, if there is a rush on the services, they are prepared.

“We have been meeting with all the major stakeholders over the last two to three weeks, especially our assessment officers, our cashier and our records clerk,” Donald Farquharson, CEO of the Kingston Public Hospital, told the Observer last week. “We feel very, very prepared.

We anticipate that on Monday there will not be any significant turnout. Possibly for the areas of diagnostic service there might be an increase, since those are normally the most expensive services, but it is our belief that we do have a scheduling and appointment system. If our capacity for the day is unable to meet the need, persons will be rescheduled another day.”

Everton Anderson, chief executive officer at Cornwall Regional Hospital in St James was equally confident. He told the Observer he believes that if an increase in the number of patients under 18 is seen today, it will be marginal.

“I am of the opinion that we are ready. We have trained our key staff members and the entire hospital is aware and ready,” Anderson said. “I think by matching the free health care for under 18 to our current process flow, it has made it easier for us to implement. The only worry is whether or not we will get an increase in numbers. If the numbers remain the same, we should have a relatively hassle-free implementation.”

At the Bustamante Hospital for Children, Beverley Needham, chief executive officer, said they have increased to two, the number of doctors who assess patients.

“We anticipate that we may have a number of persons coming in on Monday and therefore, the triage is going to be very critical, and so one of the things we have looked at is that presently we have one doctor carrying out assessment of patients,” she said during a press briefing to outline the new regime last week. “Therefore, a parent will not have to wait six hours to find out that this is not a case to be seen in the hospital, you have to go to the health centre.”

More than 800,000 children will today start accessing free health care under a new policy announced earlier this month by Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller in her budget presentation in Parliament.

The new regime requires parents to provide a form of identification, such as a birth certificate, passport or school identification, when their children are taken in for treatment.

Children under 18 will receive the following free of cost:

. medicines;

. diagnostic services (laboratory, x-rays);

. hospitalisation;

. surgeries; and

. registration.