Some patients under the public-private partnership (PPP) medical scheme have reportedly been turned away from certain private clinics because of what they claim are delayed Government payments.
Patients who contacted The Fiji Times said they visited two clinics in Suva, including a pharmacy, but could not be assisted because of alleged unpaid dues by the Government.
“I took my elderly mother to the private clinic but they asked if we could return because they were busy with other patients and needed to be paid first from the Government for the PPP scheme,” said Ajinesh Prasad.
“Other patients too faced the same and we understand because the Government needs to pay the private doctors as they have bills to pay too.”
The Fiji College of General Practitioners (FCGP) confirmed the situation, saying some members were also affected by delayed payments.
“The college council after having consulted certain GP clinics in the Western and Northern divisions can affirm that, yes, there have been delayed payments,” the FCGP said.
“The last payment received was for services rendered in July. However, the participating clinics that have been contacted have assured us they are still seeing patients and not turning them away.
“The FCGP is aware that there has been a history of delayed payments in the past as well, so, yes, this is not the first time.”
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said last Friday he was not aware of the issue.
“I will now contact the Minister for Health and Medical Services and ask what is happening in those cases,” he said.
“If the general practitioners have done the job but not paid, they will be paid.”
The FCGP also said it had no role in the scheme previously, adding that it was left out of negotiations and that participating GPs signed individual contracts with the Ministry of Economy.
“We have not initiated any further negotiations with the relevant ministry to seek clarification regarding delayed payments.” Questions sent to Finance Minister Professor Biman Prasad and permanent secretary Shiri Gounder last week remained unanswered.
