Medications Handed over to Oncology Department at K.H.M.H.

The Social Security Board and its N.H.I. Department has partnered with the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital to provide affordable treatment for cancer patients. S.S.B. invested one hundred and fifty thousand dollars in medication for those battling colon, lung, stomach, breast and prostate cancers.  N.H.I. tendered and procured the medications which were handed over to the hospital’s newly established cancer treatment unit this morning.  Doctor Ramon Figueroa, General Manager for N.H.I., explained the procurement process.

Ramon Figueroa

Dr. Ramon Figueroa, General Manager, National Health Insurance

“Last year, around June, Dr. Yacab approached the Social Security Board asking if they would be able to purchase a list of medications so that they could then have it here at K.H.M.H. and establish a revolving fund for patients, because that is, most, a lot of people know there are very expensive medications, not very affordable for a majority of the population, when they can afford it, it is extremely expensive. So, the Social Security Board asked us at the National Health Insurance to get involved in terms of discussing the technical aspects of the procurement process. What we did was then basically bid out the list of medication, got a quotation on the prices, and we were able to get almost the full amount that was being requested by the K.H.M.H. to a maximum of a hundred and fifty thousand dollars, which is what the Social Security Board was willing to invest in this procurement process.”