Private GPs scheme
Doctor: Less than three patients a week, compared with 30-40 patients before
ISSUES pertaining to the procedures in the free medical services under the Private General Practitioners Scheme have reduced the number of patients some doctors ttend to.
Dr Netani Koroi of Koroi’s Surgery said these days he sees less than three patients a week, compared with the 30-40 patients before the scheme.
He said the public was not taking advantage of the scheme because “most of the applicants’ forms get dropped while under review due to the filing of incomplete documents”.
“It’s a long process, they have to get the right documents,” he said.
“If the documents aren’t right it will take some time for it to get processed into the system. They have to get their TIN letter, birth certificate, authorisation from a JP and a joint card. All these are required and if one is missing, the process breaks down. Unfortunately, people come in thinking their names are in the system but we can’t process them because their name and information doesn’t show.”
Dr Koroi said the number of patients he gets now had dropped significantly.
“Before I would get 30 to 40 patients a week. People would come in with any kind of ID and get it done. Now, with this scheme, I’m getting only one or two patients in a week.”
Dr Koroi said about a hundred forms were given to his patients to fill to access the free medical services but none had come back to him.
“I gave about a hundred forms for my patients to fill. When they come in, I see them for free and then give them the forms but none have come back. When the first processing started in August, the first round of names I saw was in November. That’s how long it took, and I hope that part can be improved.”
Another medical practitioner in Nakasi, who wished to remain anonymous, shared similar sentiments that “the public is not aware of the forms they have to fill to get the free medical services”.
“The majority are unaware because I have plenty of patients coming to me, expecting to get free medical service,” he said.
“When we ask them if they have filled the forms, they say no. They don’t know about the forms.
“I used to be busy. Now I get only five patients a day who pay for our services. Those patients we get under the scheme – nil.”
Questions sent to the Ministry of Health have remained unanswered.