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Imbert
unveils plans for free medicine
HEALTH MINISTER Colm Imbert yesterday outlined the Government’s plan to give free medication to senior citizens. Speaking during debate in the House of Representatives, Red House, Port of Spain, on the 2002/2003 budget, Imbert said pensioners with diabetes, eye and heart problems, and high blood pressure would benefit. “We are going to give all pensioners, in the first instance, who visit the doctor in either public hospitals or private (institutions) a prescription in triplets. The doctor keeps one for his own record and gives two to the pensioner who can go to any registered pharmacy (and presents the two copies to the pharmacist) who will then fill the prescription and give the drugs free of charge,” he announced. Imbert said the pharmacist would keep a copy of the prescription and send the other to Nipdec, the organisation which will manage the process for the Government. He said penalties would be in place for persons who tried to introduce any element of corruption into the programme. “We are confident that we can introduce accounting systems, reporting systems and we’re going to be introducing penalties for anybody who wants to defraud the system by giving medication to someone who is not entitled to it or engaging in over-invoicing or whatever. “We’re going to be introducing penalties, including cancellation of the licence of any pharmacy that is found to be involved in any fraudulent activity.” Earlier, Imbert described as “absolute noise” claims by Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday that the PNM had spent $18 billion in nine months, saying the PNM, from January to September of this year, spent less than $11 billion. Imbert, who utilised his full 75 minutes, got into some difficulty when he attempted to respond to a remark by Panday who had said that the UNC, if it had a dollar, would spend 75 cents and save 25 cents. Imbert said what he had heard was that the UNC would “spend 25 cents and steal 75 cents”. Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar called on Speaker Barry Sinanan to rule on whether Imbert was imputing improper motives to a MP. All Sinanan said was that the debate had been proceeding well and asked that it continue that way. Imbert also took Panday to task for claiming that the UNC had given free school books to primary school pupils and a $1,000 book grant to secondary school students. “When did that happen?” he asked aloud, saying Panday seemed to be “living in a dreamland”. Dealing with Caroni (1975) Ltd, Imbert noted the criticisms of Panday and said Caroni was a “disaster” which lost billions of dollars under the UNC administration.
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