KINGSTON, Jamaica – The National Health Fund (NHF) approved subsidy payments of $6.41 billion for more than 4.3 million claims made in the 2021/22 fiscal year.

The statistics were provided during a press conference at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on Tuesday to provide details of increases to NHFCard Benefits.

Five conditions accounted for 78 per cent of the total NHFCard subsidy payments made over the period.

These are diabetes, which represented 30 per cent of the total subsidy, followed by hypertension, 24 per cent; high cholesterol, 11.3 per cent; prostate cancer, seven per cent; and glaucoma, six per cent.

Prostate cancer accounted for the highest average subsidy per claim of $24,282.89; followed by lupus, $17,301.02; and breast cancer, $12,263.56.

For the 2021/22 fiscal year, the total enrolment on the Individual Benefits Programme grew by 42 per cent, ending the year with 720,272 enrollees on the NHFCard Programme and with approximately 350,000 active beneficiaries.

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton, in noting the figures, charged the NHF to take a “greater advocacy” role in encouraging persons to take personal responsibility for their health.

He said that while the agency continues to help Jamaicans access much-needed medication, the costs keep rising and individual responsibility could prevent a lot of the illnesses that require the agency’s intervention.

Tufton said the NHF’s role “can’t be just about care; it has to be about prevention”.

“We can’t just sit and wait for people to come for help. Don’t just tell people that you have medication; tell them how to avoid needing the medication and be bold in that regard,” he urged.

The Minister noted that the NHF “is quite credible… and has a track record of performance” and urged the entity to “leverage the credibility that you have for the right reasons”.

The NHF’s expanded support will improve access to healthcare for the 350,000 active beneficiaries of the NHFCard and the more than 21,000 beneficiaries of the Jamaica Drug for the Elderly Programme (JADEP).

Eight conditions on the NHFCard will see increases in subsidies and new drugs will be added, including JADEP benefits.

The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test will be made available for all male beneficiaries 40 years and older.

The rollout of the new benefits will be done on a phased basis over the next four months, as the implementation will require the addition of new partners/providers while working with existing partners to finalise the updates and additions.

Once finalised, the implementation schedule will be shared with all stakeholders.