ALMOST $100M was spent by the former People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government covering dental and other medical expenses over a period of three years, according to Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence.

PPP Member of Parliament Bishop Juan Edghill, who now sits on the opposite side of the House, had pressed the public health minister for information on the medical and dental bills paid by the current government on behalf of Members of Cabinet, advisers and family members for the period June, 2015 to June 2018.

Minister Lawrence before responding to the question posed by Edghill, used the opportunity to flip back the pages of history to not so long ago when the PPP/C was in government. She told the House that approximately one year after entering office, the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) government discovered that within a period of three years, the PPP had expended millions of dollars to offset medical and dental expenses.

“In 2012, from the public’s purse, some $37.138M (was) spent and then in 2013 $9.732M and then in 2014, Mr. Speaker some $47.2M,” Minister Lawrence informed the House.
She said based on an investigation conducted into the medical and dental expenditures of the PPP/C Government ministers, the figures did not include dental expenses. According to her, in 2012 the PPP/C Government dental expenses total $2.456M, in 2013 another $1.793M and in 2014, $84,999.

The Public Health Minister, based on the conduct of the previous government, the APNU+AFC government took a decision to seek out insurance companies that can provide insurance coverage for Members of Cabinet and other Ministers of Government, to avoid placing burden on the public fund as was done in the past.

Under the current arrangement, the government is paying 50 percent insurance premiums for the Ministers of Government and their families, while the other 50 per cent is being deducted by Parliament from the ministers’ salaries, the public health minister explained.
However, at the moment, she was unable to indicate the particulars of the premiums. That information, she assured, would be provided at a later date.

The public health minister, however, told the House that the record would show that the APNU+AFC Government has not been placing undue burden on the public’s purse.
“Mr. Speaker, I am happy to report to this Honourable House that of June 2015, no request was made to the public funds for a medical coverage nor dental for any of our ministers.

The same thing happened in 2016, again, there is a NIL, in June of 2018, there is a NIL; however for 2017 prior to us signing onto the insurance company, some $2.404M was spent,” Minister Lawrence told the National Assembly.