Chief Medical Officer at the Ministry of Health Dr Anton Cumberbatch says people who seek independent radiology treatment through private oncology centres will have to foot their own bills.To qualify for free medical treatment, a patient diagnosed and referred by a specialist must meet all the necessary requirements by the ministry. If they qualify, the Government will cover the cost.Cumberbatch was responding to allegations by popular masman, Raoul Garib who claimed that he paid the Brian Lara Cancer Treatment Centre $89,000 for radiation treatment for his wife Brenda after she was placed on a Government list for treatment.Brenda who was diagnosed with rectal cancer in 2009 died on October 22, 2010.
Last Wednesday, Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan stated that there was the possibility that 223 patients who sought treatment at the centre could be exposed to potential late effects of radiation after the wrong calibrations were set.Garib said he took Brenda to the centre in September 2009 to be entered into the Government assistance programme.To acquire the treatment privately would have cost the Garibs $132,930.Brenda was advised to put her name among the Government applicants.
Garib taken for an expensive ride
To expedite things, Garib said his wife was told by an employee named Nigel Peters to make a deposit of $89,000 to begin treatment."They told us that when Brenda's name comes on the list they would refund the entire amount paid."When Brenda's name made the list, Garib said he approached the hospital for his refund, which was refused."That's when I went to the Ministry of Health and found out that the hospital had paid the centre $41,000 for Brenda's treatment. So they collected money both ways."As far as I know, once you are on Government's list, the treatment is free to the patient."Garib said he contacted an attorney on the matter, but was told he hadn't a case unless Peters-who had quit the centre-was found. An employee at Brian Lara centre claimed that Peters died last month.
Having drained his entire life savings in medical bills to improve his wife's health, Garib said he was, "taken for an expensive roller coaster ride". "Once you have cancer the hospitals will make you a pauper," he added.Last month, Garib received a pre protocol action letter from a private hospital in Port-of-Spain indicating that failure to pay a $124,023.35 medical bill would result in legal action.
Cumberbatch: We pay forthose who can't afford
Cumberbatch, meanwhile, said: "What the Government has, through the Ministry of Health, are two contracts with the two private providers of radiation services to the country-Southern Medical Clinic and the public centre."We purchase these services on behalf of the Government for patients coming through the public system who need radiation and cannot afford it," Cumberbatch added.He said a "process" had to be followed in order to access State funding and that qualification for such a service required much more than the patients' names simply appearing on a list.
"There is no mechanism for reimbursement (of costs) because we (Government) pay the medical centres for the treatment after relevant reports have been sent, and not the patients themselves," he said.Cumberbatch said: "Patients have to be diagnosed and referred by a specialist to ensure that they meet the criteria."He said while the process "could take place rapidly", experts needed to be thorough with cancer patients in order to determine the stage of the disease and whether, in fact, the person "can be helped by radiation".
Cumberbatch reminded patients that once they had "put in an application" to be on the recommend list, it was in their best interest that they communicate any decision to seek private radiology treatment with the public centre so as to be better informed and to "see where their application was in the line"."If there is an urgency to the patient's case however, emergency mechanisms could be enacted to expedite such treatment by contacting the private centres directly and informing them of such," Cumberbatch added.
Brian Lara centre responds
We will look into it
Co-ordinator at the centre Avalon Duncan said she remembered "some discrepancy" with Brenda's case."I remember him (Raoul) calling after Nigel left and discussing his case."Duncan promised to look into the matter.Duncan also said that, "Government subsidises for patients to come and have treatment here," but refused to say how much.