Health Minister Rudyard Spencer (right) addresses a press conference at his downtown Kingston ministry's office yesterday. With him are Dr Jean Dixon (centre), permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health, and Dr Sheila Campbell-Forrester, chief medical officer. - Norman Grindley /Chief Photographer

The Ministry of Health has finally admitted that a shortage of cash is affecting the availability of drugs in some public-health institutions.

But the ministry is not joining those who claim the sector is in crisis, instead it argues that the most pressing problems are being addressed.

For months, reports have circulated that public hospitals, pharmacies and health centres were regularly running out of critical medication and supplies.

The claims were met by a stony silence from the health ministry with the occasional denials.

Suppliers owed

But yesterday, Health Minister Rudyard Spencer admitted that suppliers are owed $1.6 billion. Approximately half that amount is owed for drugs and medical supplies.

"We have aged the bills and have decided on an approach that includes paying those bills that are owed for 90 days first," Spencer said.

"We cannot pay all of it at the same time but we have worked with the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service to prioritise the payments," added Spencer, who was flanked by his parliamentary secretary, Aundré Franklin; Permanent Secretary Dr Jean Dixon and Chief Medical Officer Dr Sheila Campbell-Forrester.

Dixon later told The Gleaner that while the failure to make the payments was posing a problem, it was being addressed.

"Actually, sometimes it costs us a little more than it normally would because instead of going through the regular procurement for the drugs, institutions have to be going to the market to get some of those critical drugs," Dixon said.

"The Ministry of Finance has said it is willing to prioritise the procurement of drugs and we have sent them the list of things that we need," added Dixon.

The health ministry has been allocated $27.1 billion for its recurrent expenditure this year. Of that amount, $24 billion is for the University Hospital of the West Indies and the four regional health authorities which are responsible for the day-to-day operations of public-health facilities.

As of October, the regional health authorities had been paid $10 billion of the allocation. However, the vast majority of that amount, $7.6 billion, was used to pay workers.

arthur.hall@gleanerjm.com