Health agreements must be reinstated

Friday 11th December 2009, 3:00PM GMT.

From Deputy Roy Le Hérissier.
WHILE I am very concerned about health tourism, given the pressure the health budget is under, I am also aware that there are people living in Jersey who have contributed all their lives to a system such as that in the UK but, bar pensions, do not receive any benefits.

They are also suffering from the fact that we have no reciprocal agreements in those areas. It is vital that the Jersey authorities get back to the table and start negotiating.
.

1
Leah Holmes

December 11, 2009 at 3:39 pm

Agreed. Although not sure about negotiations as such, how about a ‘tit for tat’ arrangement. A Jersey resident is visiting the UK for holiday or study, requires treatment, the treatment is given free at source and the bill is sent to the States of Jersey. Same for a UK person in Jersey.

They could draw up a list of all medical treatments, procedures etc and agree set pricing.

It seems to me rather straightforward so I’m probably missing something.

Report abuse
2
Richard de Ste Croix

December 11, 2009 at 4:33 pm

As I choose to live in spain in the warm, and there is no agreement between Spain and Jersey I have to pay for health care, I paid for 50 years into Jersey Health, If I was straight off the boat I would get what was needed without any query.

Report abuse
3
Magnolia Man

December 11, 2009 at 6:20 pm

If the Jersey Department of Health & Social Services had not been so rapacious, and had not submitted inflated and padded bills for the treatment of UK visitors, we would still have had a bilateral health agreement.

The question is whether the UK government wants to do business with a dishonest dependency.

Unpalatable words, I know, but they are the unfortunate truth.

Report abuse
4
I Agree

December 11, 2009 at 8:53 pm

Relevant posts here: http://www.thisisjersey.com/2009/11/14/living-in-exile/

Unfortunately we live in an island riddled by greed where those with more than they need are going to argue until they’re blue in the face that Jersey’s expenditure is too high, the social security department’s budget will be cut not increased because most people will argue until judgement day that they shouldn’t have to give up more taxes for the greater good of the society as a whole. The attitude is selfish – ‘I’m alright Jack’.

We blame the governments for tax and spend, but greed is the real issue, the divison of wealth between rich and poor will continue to escalate until the governments intervene to counteract people’s natural greed.

Also – we already live in a world where housing is unaffordable for many, as are becoming legal services and dentists and doctors – so there’s a minimum wage to protect the poorest in our society, but why isn’t there a maximum wage to protect the poorest in our society? Same thing?

Report abuse
5
Leah Holmes

December 13, 2009 at 6:01 pm

#4 Cuts could be made in health spending if Jersey started to lead the way by putting the onus back on the individual. We all have a responsibility to live healthier lives and too many people are not doing this, unaware that they are costing the health service unnecessary money.

I believe it is time that doctors were allowed to use their discretion and explain to patients that sometimes a pill is not the answer. Too many conditions are caused by overeating, others by simply eating the wrong types of food, and many cases of mild depression are prolonged through bad diet and lack of exercise. There are so many things that the public could do (at no cost to themselves) that would save the health service a fortune on drugs!

I agree about ‘the rich’ being a problem. When blocks of flats have their annual meeting to vote for/against various bits of work being carried out, those that can afford it tend to just vote yes whether or not the works/additions are actually needed, leaving the have nots to also pay for unnecessary work/additions. They’re the first to vote ‘no’ for anything alterations their neighbours wish to do though, even if it won’t actually affect anyone else.

As for a maximum wage, it is time that some form of wage restrictions were brought in across the board dependent on what kind of skills/intelligence your work involves. What some people earn really is just appalling, and there is no way they can justify it as no-one is worth that much.

Report abuse