Nipdec: No preferential treatment in CDAP

The National Property Insurance Development Company (Nipdec) has again defended the operations of the Chronic Disease Assistance Programme (CDAP). Last month, Nipdec officials held a media briefing at the Ministry of Health to respond to criticisms and allegations made by the Public Services Association (PSA). Yesterday, Nipdec placed advertisements in daily newspapers advising the public and all stakeholders “that the management of CDAP is conducted with the highest level of transparency and professionalism. No participating pharmacy can benefit from any preferential treatment.” In the advertisement, Nipdec said pharmaceuticals were acquired through an annual international tendering process. Nipdec said it supplied medications at no cost to participating pharmacies “for dispensing to the public free of charge. As such, pharmacies cannot benefit from any price mark-up.”

Nipdec said private pharmacies are paid $10 per item to cover storage, packaging, labelling, counselling and dispensing of medications on a CDAP prescription. “Patients can access medication with a CDAP prescription at any of the 300 private and public pharmacies of their choice.” In an interview with Newsday, Nipdec Procurement Manager, Artie Whittington said pharmacies should not be giving photocopied prescriptions to people accessing medication in CDAP. “The system should not work by photocopying,” he said. A pharmacy in St James last week reported that photocopied prescriptions were being given to people in need of more than one month’s supply of medication. She said they were advised to return to their doctors to get another prescription because the photocopy did not indicate “repeat” medication. The pharmacist alleged that in such cases people would have to return to the  pharmacy which gave them the photocopy.

She also claimed the pharmacy could claim fees for drugs which were not dispensed because it had the original prescription with the patient’s ID number. Whittington told Newsday pharmacies have pads in which they are supposed to transfer information from the original prescription “quoting the original prescription number and ‘repeat’ on the new prescription pad.”  Whittington said the person can then go to any pharmacy to get their drugs. He said the reason only one month’s supply of any drug is dispensed is that patients can be monitored and patients’ health care improved. He said when patients are given two and three month’s supply this can affect patient compliance. He said checks and balances were in place to monitor private pharmacies taking part in CDAP and the people accessing the service. Whittington said the stock given to each pharmacy implementing CDAP was monitored. Whittington said Nipdec has detected a few cases involving people attempting to get drugs at two different locations.