NewsWhore
08-15-2007, 05:10 PM
Once more, the government's attempt to set up a national family health plan is coming up against opposition. This time from yet another quarter, the Association of Private Clinics, which announced yesterday that its members would not take part in the Family Health Insurance (SFS) plan that is due to start on 1 September. The sticking points are the reimbursement fees to be paid for emergencies and surgical procedures, and hospital room stays. The association's president, Rafael Mena, told reporters from Hoy that nobody has talked to the private clinics about the issues relating to emergency treatments. The clinics are asking for a RD$600 reimbursement fee for treating emergency cases. According to Dr. Mena, it would be very difficult for a medical specialist to treat an emergency patient at 3am for the RD$360 that is being proposed by the SFS management. The clinics also protest a reimbursement fee of RD$1,200 for a private room. In a more conciliatory vein, Dr. Enriquillo Matos, the president of the Dominican Medical Association (CMD), told reporters that, "at worst this is a case of omission, one that can be corrected in the next few hours."
Meanwhile, Public Health Minister Bautista Rojas Gomez said that the service would start as planned on 1 September.
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Meanwhile, Public Health Minister Bautista Rojas Gomez said that the service would start as planned on 1 September.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#2)