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| The Government supplies medicines free of charge to all in-patients in Government hospitals. Other persons
entitled to free medicines are as follows: |
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| These patients benefit under the Medical Aids grant under the Social Security Act. Entitlement is based on an assessment of the total household income. Such cards are issued from the Department of Social Security and are not valid without the relative pink form on which the card holder's name must be included. |
One pink form is issued, for all members of the household (in the name of the head of the household but also listing all the entitled members), however, each member must have his/her own pink card. The pink form is normally valid for 1 month only, but patients over 60 years of age usually have their form extended for 6 months at a time.
The pink card and form entitle patients to medicines listed in the Government Formulary, subject to completion of certain requirements (e.g. hospital consultant's signature in the case of certain medicines).
Patients suffering from Tuberculosis, Leprosy or Poliomyelitis or the after effects of any such diseases are also issued with a pink card from the Department of Social Security. |
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Any patient suffering from a condition which is listed under the fifth schedule of the Social Security Act can benefit from this service. This schedule refers to a series of diseases and conditions in respect of which free medicines are provided irrespective of financial position. These are as follows:
- Malignant diseases
- Cardiovascular disease
- Congestive Cardiac failure
- Persistent hypertension with a diastolic reading above 110 if left untreated
- Ischaemic heart disease
- Respiratory disease
- Chronic respiratory failure
- Chronic asthma
- Collagen disease
- Chronic rheumatoid arthritis
- Systemic lupus erythematosus
- Systemic sclerosis
- Dermatomyositis
- Polyarteritis nodosa
- Endocrine disease
- Addison's Disease
- Hypopituitarism including Diabetes insipidus
- Enzyme deficiency disorders
- Endometriosis
- Renal disease
- Nephrotic syndrome
- Chronic renal failure
- Digestive system disease
- Chronic peptic ulcer
- Coeliac disease and idiopathic steatorrhea
- Crohn's Disease and ulcerative colitis
- Liver disease
- Hepatic cirrhosis associated with ascites or neurological symptoms
- Wilson's Disease
- Central nervous system disease
- Epilepsy
- Incapacitating Parkinson's Disease
- Myasthenia gravis
- Multiple sclerosis
- Motor neurone disease
- Schizophrenia
- Haemophilia
- Paget's Disease
- Generalised Paget's Disease showing activity as manifested by an alkaline phosphatase level of not less than 100 K.A. units
- Spinal Paget's Disease producing neurological symptoms
- Glaucoma
- Extensive psoriasis
- Huntington's Chorea
- Autoimmune enteropathy
- H.I.V. Positive
- Congenital indifference to pain
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| Patients suffering from such diseases are to be referred to a Consultant within the Health Services by their General Practitioner. The Consultant can then apply for a Schedule V card for the patient, listing the drugs required by the patient. The Schedule V card is then issued to the patient from the Almoner Section, St. Luke's Hospital. Patients holding Schedule V cards are only entitled to those medicines listed on the card. If treatment is changed, this list needs to be amended and thus a new schedule V application should be made by the Consultant. The validity period of such cards may vary from three months to two years and could even be indefinite depending on the disease concerned. Such cards cannot be transferred from one patient to another. |
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