UNENLIGHTENED, UNREASONABLE AND INSENSITIVE.
That’s how president of the Hope Foundation, Shelly Weir, has described some comments about access to health care by undocumented non-nationals.
Speaking Thursday night at the foundation’s 20th anniversary awards ceremony and dinner at the Grand Salle of the Central Bank of Barbados, Weir said Barbadians should be careful of the message they were sending, especially since the country’s resources were finite and people had expectations of optimum care and access.
She looked at several ailments and the cost to Government to provide care to Barbadian citizens.
Weir said the Barbados Lupus Registry, undertaken by Professor Anselm Hennis and Dr Cindy Flower through the Chronic Disease Research Centre (CDRC), had shown that the incidence of lupus in Barbadian women was among the highest reported worldwide and second only to Spain.
She noted that of the approximately 25 new cases of lupus diagnosed annually, about 40 per cent required Cellcept – an immunosuppressant drug used to prevent rejection in organ transplantation – for a course that could often be for six months’ duration and in some cases could go on for two to three years.
Weir said the drug was easily $2 000 per month per patient. Some patients, she added, had been forced to be non-compliant because of financial constraints even though it was already subsidised by Government.
“Cellcept is used to prevent lifelong use of dialysis and lupus is the fifth highest cause for dialysis at the [Queen Elizabeth?Hospital].
“Added to this is the drug, mabthera, that could ideally be used for at least four patients annually at the cost of $18 000 per patient. This situation is not unique to lupus, since I have listened to other patients protesting the cost of their drugs,” she added.
“. . . We have been very patient patients and we want to see Cellcept free to the patients that need it. For this to become a reality, there must be a rational and responsible approach to ensure that no Barbadian is disadvantaged.”
Weir said she did not believe that Government was being insensitive to its regional brothers and sisters, but stressed that the answer to any problems could not be found in placing the burden of providing health care to anyone and everyone on Barbadian taxpayers.
Featured speaker, Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler, said people with ailments such as sickle cell anaemia, lupus and other chronic diseases had a right to access life insurance like anyone else.
He promised to approach insurance companies with the issue in an effort to alleviate the concerns which such sufferers had voiced.
Several people were recognised for their work and service to the foundation. (WG)