THE National Health Fund (NHF) says it has introduced a special registration number (SRN) to facilitate vulnerable people like senior citizens, children and adults who live in State-owned or privately operated homes, and those individuals who have been unable to obtain a tax registration number (TRN) due to extraordinary circumstances.

In a release yesterday, NHF said the SRN will allow individuals to access the benefits of the NHF card at participating pharmacies islandwide.

NHF Chief Executive Officer Everton Anderson said the government agency has recognised that there are potential beneficiaries who cannot get an NHF Card because they do not have a birth certificate, which is required by the Tax Administration Department to apply for a TRN.

“Given our strategic priority to improve access by Jamaicans to affordable health care, we have implemented a system for the vulnerable while maintaining the integrity of the beneficiaries’ records,” Anderson is quoted as saying in the release.

He noted that the special registration number would not replace the TRN, but provides a necessary alternative for individuals with special circumstances.

In order to facilitate new applicants with the special registration number, the application process has been modified to include the verification of the applicant with a letter from a justice of the peace, pastor or attorney-at-law, the release said.

For children, or adults, who are wards of the State, a letter is required from the manager of the Child Development Agency or State-owned/privately owned home, it continued.

The NHF said it will reserve the right to consult the Registrar General’s Department for verification, where necessary.

In the meantime, the release said a monitoring and evaluation system has also been implemented to examine enrolment and claims activities, along with an ongoing review of the process to identify and mitigate additional risks and improve efficiency.

With the introduction of the special registration number in August 2018, several State-owned and private homes across the island have already been sensitised and this will continue, NHF said.

Registrations have begun, and the NHF said it is anticipating that the uptake of the SRN will grow as the facilities and vulnerable groups become aware and submit their applications.