Prostate screening added to NHF benefits
Published:Wednesday | December 14, 2022 | 1:33 AMJudana Murphy/Gleaner Writer
The National Health Fund (NHF) has upgraded its programme benefits by increasing the subsidy on its cards, introducing prostate screening to its offerings and adding more items to the Jamaica Drug for the Elderly Programme (JADEP) drug list.
Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton said these changes will help to support access to healthcare for more than 350,000 active beneficiaries of the NHF card and the more than 21,000 JADEP beneficiaries.
In a statement during the sitting of The House of Representatives on Tuesday, Tufton said the changes will take effect by the end of February 2023.
“In keeping with the NHF’s strategic priority to improve access and enhance customer satisfaction, the fund conducts periodic reviews of the benefits under the programme and, in addition, receives feedback from beneficiaries and stakeholders in relation to their concerns about the programme,” he said, adding that the directors approved the changes following a board meeting on November 23.
Forty-one new active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for the treatment of eight conditions – hypertension, ischaemic heart disease, vascular disease, diabetes, psychosis, glaucoma, sickle-cell disease, and epilepsy – were added to the NHF card.
“This means that some 350,000 active beneficiaries will access benefits at an investment of $474.68 million per annum. The board has also approved changes to JADEP, with five pharmaceutical items added for the treatment of five conditions – arthritis, asthma, glaucoma, hypertension, and vascular disease – based on specific criteria,” Tufton said.
JADEP’s estimated investment is $42.59 million annually.
Turning to prostate screening, Tufton said that prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Jamaican men and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the male population.
The subsidy on the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test is set at $1,600 per test and beneficiaries will be allowed one test per year.
“Screening is about early detection, and early detection saves lives … . We have some 89,665 active male claimants, 40 years and older, who can benefit from this new addition. I say to these men and others in the society, that with regular screening coupled with the expert cancer care that is available in Jamaica, we can better control the severity of this disease in our nation,” Tufton said.
In response to the statement, Opposition Spokesman on Health Dr Morais Guy said the NHF upgrades will go a long way in helping the vast majority of Jamaicans who, despite getting NHF and JADEP subsidies, still find it challenging to access medications.
Noting that the pressure on NHF from diabetes, hypertension, and other non-communicable diseases are putting the fund under strain, Guy questioned how the new dispensation would affect the financing of the organisation.
Tufton said a reform of the financing arrangements has to happen in the medium to longer term. He said that there is a willingness to explore that option as the NHF was allocated more funding in the Supplementary Estimates.
“I do agree with you that the health profile and the direction in which it is going does create a sustainability issue, which is going to require some fundamental adjustments as we move forward,” the health minister said.
Further, Guy said he was concerned that men over 40 who are not NHF beneficiaries would not be able to access the subsidy for prostate screening. Following the impact of COVID-19 on Jamaicans, he urged the NHF to consider adding anxiety to the conditions it currently subsidises.
The health minister said mental health is a “big issue”, noting that it should be captured in Jamaica’s health profile response.
On the matter of prostate screening, Tufton said he was unsure if there was a need for another layer of access but said he would discuss it with the NHF.