National Federation Party MP, Parmod Chand says the free medicine scheme is in a shambolic state and needs to be reviewed urgently to bring about efficiency and to ensure it is fully maximized by all eligible recipients.
While giving his statement on the review of free medicine, Chand urged government to change the eligibility criteria so that individuals under 18 years of age who are mostly students are able to access the scheme irrespective of their parent’s joint income reaching the joint threshold of $40,000.
Chand says to equip pharmacies with computers or link their computers to the Ministry’s database of eligible recipients and says that remove the list of 142 medicines and implement a truly genuine free medicine scheme where those eligible can access any medicine prescribed by the doctor.
Chand also claimed that pharmaceutical staff have to withstand abuse when they tell people medicine prescribed by the doctors are not available or not listed as a free medicine.
While responding to Chand’s statement, Acting Prime Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says it is incorrect to say children don’t get free medicine.
He says if a child goes to a hospital, they get free medicine.
Sayed-Khaiyum says it does not mean that with 31,000 people registered for the free medicine scheme that they are the only ones that get free medicine.
He says that every single person that goes to a public hospital get free medicine, even if they are registered or not registered.
Sayed-Khaiyum adds that people who are registered use their registration at private pharmacies.
The Acting Prime Minister says they are working with the Indian Government to get a software to get the government and other pharmacies connected.
