Friday, March 29, 2013
THE Ministry of Health has slashed its hospital fees and charges in attempts to provide affordable and quality services to the people of Fiji.
Fees for dental, mammograms and dentures led the list of fees reduction while prosthetic or artificial limbs are now free of charge.
Health Minister Doctor Neil Sharma said the ministry had found that 86 per cent of children under five in Fiji suffered from tooth decay and hoped that this decrease in dental prices would see more children receiving treatment for it.
"We believe that by decreasing the dental charges we will see more parents seeking assistance of dentists for their children," he said.
He also said that breast cancer was another cause for concern among women in Fiji which was why the price of a mammogram was reduced as well.
"Another major problem in Fiji is breast cancer. Each year a number of women are diagnosed with breast cancer. To ensure that woman have access to cancer tests, we have also decreased the mammogram fee from $260 to $150," he said.
"This is done to see that more women turn up to our clinics and have tests done at an affordable rate."
And with a majority of the ageing population unemployed and staying with relatives, Dr Sharma said the ministry was making efforts to ensure they had access to cheap dentures.
"We have made denture affordable so that these people can eat properly and are able to get proper diet and nutrition," he said.
THE REDUCTIONS
* Full dentures: $230
* Dental attendances, examination and consultation: $5.75
* Oral Surgeries (extraction, one tooth: $5.75.
* Each additional tooth: $5.75
* Mammogram: $150
Source: Miinistry Of Health
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