The Request for Proposals for private sector pharmacy owners to partner with the Government in the GOJ Health Card Programme is being finalized. As a result the February 1, 2010 deadline for presenting the GOJ Health Card in order to fill prescriptions at public sector pharmacies and selected private pharmacies has been extended until the process of selection of private pharmacies is complete.
Mr. Hugh Lawson, CEO of the NHF says, "The processing of application forms is in progress and the distribution of cards will commence when the selection of private pharmacies is further advanced."
The introduction of the GOJ Health Card is a Ministry of Health Initiative to further improve the delivery of health care services.
GOJ Health Card members who have prescriptions originating in public sector hospitals and health centres will have the option of filling their prescriptions either at public health pharmacies and Drug Serv or at selected private sector pharmacies island-wide. These prescriptions must be for items that are on the Vital, Essential and Necessary (VEN) list.
The VEN List comprises those medications approved by the Ministry of Health for treatment use in public Hospitals and Health centres.
Approximately 100,000 persons have so far registered for the GOJ Health Card. Registration began on September 1, 2009 at all Public Hospitals and some Health Centres island wide. The initial target is for registration of 140,000, which represents the usual number of persons accessing health care from the public sector annually.
NHF is overseeing the registration and administration of the GOJ Health Card.
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