Minister hints at health care fees

Barbadians may soon have to pay user fees to access health care at public facilities as part of Government’s thrust to boost revenues.
Minister of Health John Boyce dropped the hint yesterday shortly after signing a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry and the University of the West Indies (UWI) along with principal of the Cave Hill campus, professor Sir Hilary Beckles.
The Ministry suffered a near $35 million cut in its subvention after the 2013 Budget, and Boyce said the objectives set out and outlined by the Minister of Finance were “real” and must be met.
“It is a question of making sure that this country is here for us and for our children ten, 15, 20 years down the road,” he added. (YB)