The Tribune

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Reporter FOUR additional chronic diseases have been added to the National Drug Prescription Plan, chief pharmacist Dr Brenna Brown-Turnquest announced at the 40th annual Medical Association of the Bahamas Conference last week. Since the 2010 launch of the plan, Dr Brown-Turnquest also said she is finding that most people are very pleased with the services they are able to get. She sad: "Patients are now able to get their medications from the private pharmacies instead of having to wait at the government clinics." To date, the National Prescription Drug Plan has 32 private pharmacies in New Providence, four pharmacies in Grand Bahama, six on the family Islands and every government clinic and government hospital pharmacy apart of the Drug Plan. "The majority of persons are in New Providence, but we have about 25 per cent that are outside of New Providence and Grand Bahama. We don't just care for the patients that are in New Providence, but throughout the islands also. We ensure that the persons in the pharmacies and the clinics on all these islands, have all of our medications," said Dr Brown-Turnquest With more than 17,000 Bahamians enrolled in the plan, which funds an estimated $85,000 worth of prescriptions per week, Dr Brown-Turnquest said civil servants has recently been added as well. "We cover indigents, and a lot of people don't know this, so if we have a patient who can't afford their medications, they can be evaluated by social services. We do open up to a lot of people, so there is a lot more people that we know are eligible, that could join our plan," she said. In addition to new medication, Dr Brown-Turnquest said two diseases already included under the plan also will be expanded. Eligible persons can now apply for treatment for epilepsy, sickle cell anemia, thyroid disorders, and benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). Speaking about the expansion of the two diseases, she said: "Ischaemic heart disease has been changed to just Ischemia to include patients who had a stroke or peripheral artery disease. We're also expanding psychiatric diseases. We're combining major depression and psychosis into one category, psychiatric illnesses. This will allow for patients that have any psychiatric diagnosis to access medication available under the plan," she said. "The expansions were made because of prevalence, requests from the community, physicians and also civic groups. For the treatments for the diseases, some of them there have been changes to the treatment and we wanted to make sure it was readily available to patients," she said. She said about 60 per cent of the plan's products are generic and 40 per cent are brand. "We do try to keep that balance because we want to have the newest therapies available, we want to have the best therapies, but we don't want to go all generic." The plan initially provided prescription drugs and associated medical supplies free of charge to Bahamians in four categories - NIB pensioners, NIB invalids, children, and Bahamians over 65 years. There were seven new groups added early last year. These new groups include: Indigent persons; staff of Her Majesty's Prison and the Industrial Schools; members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force and Royal Bahamas Defence Force; officers employed in the public service; persons receiving ante-natal care, care connected with child birth, post natal care or any other medical care associated with pregnancy; and persons in receipt of disablement benefit assessed at 100 per cent under the National Insurance (Benefit and Assistance) Regulations. Eligible persons may apply to activate membership in the Drug Plan by completing application forms available at local offices of the NIB, doctors' offices, government and private clinics and most pharmacies. Application forms can also be downloaded from www.nibdrugplan.com.