DESPITE REFUSING to make public the review of the regional health authorities (RHAs), Health Minister Rudyard Spencer has rejected aspects of the task force's report.

Spencer was forced to speak on the contents of the report since The Gleaner obtained and began exclusively publishing its contents on Sunday.

In a Letter to The Editor, Spencer said, "The Government of Jamaica is entitled to seek contestable policy advice and may, as it deems appropriate, reject or accept any such as it moves to address the felt needs of the Jamaican people."

Refused to comment

The minister has refused to divulge the report to stakeholders despite being in possession of the document for more than a year.

Responding to a conclusion in the report that reducing user fees would "undermine the primary health-care system and push the country into a service-delivery tailspin", Spencer suggested that the task force was wide of the mark.

But in his letter yesterday, Spencer said, "There is nothing to indicate that the mere removal of fees at the primary health-care level, while retaining fees at the other levels, would change the health-seeking behaviour of Jamaicans."

Spencer also rubbished an aspect of the Davidson report which said there was an estimated threefold increase in the patient load at the Bustamante Hospital for Children, following the removal of user fees under the previous government.

"Our data show that the area that experienced the highest level of increase was casualty visits at 61 per cent," said Spencer.

Restrict health care

The task force has advanced the recommendation that the abolition of user fees should be restricted to the level of primary health care.

It said that fees should be retained at the secondary and tertiary levels "with an appropriate, sensitive system for exempting the indigent".

However, Spencer said that fulfilling the manifesto promise of removing user fees was a prudent decision.

"Our experience since the abolition of user fees on April 1, 2008, indicates that the Government of Jamaica made a wise public policy decision that has impacted positively on the poor," the minister's letter said.

A full review of the no-user-fee policy has been ordered.

Log on to The Gleaner's website, go-jamaica.com, at 2 p.m. to see the full report.