Franz deFreitas says he is willing to sue the Medical Benefits Scheme (MBS) if a dear friend of his dies because he is unable to receive his required medication.
According to reports, since the Pharmacy Council has been unable to issue licenses for the importation of some drugs, their supply is running low.
When the healthcare system is unable to provide medication to the people who contribute to the MBS, says deFreitas, the country is on the brink of a disaster – of epic proportions – and on the cliff of a failed state.
DeFreitas, the United Progressive Party (UPP) Candidate for St. John’s City South, says the Scheme’s inability to procure basic medication to keep beneficiaries alive is shocking.
DeFreitas references a beneficiary whose survival depends on medication obtained from the Scheme. He says the man’s health and life are at risk since, reportedly, he is unable to get the drug he needs, and there is no word on when it will become available.
Accordingly, the UPP Candidate is threatening legal action if his friend does not survive.
DeFreitas says this type of lackadaisical behaviour seems to have become a trend in Antigua and Barbuda, with the authorities not caring about the poor.
What the people need is to be vigilant, deFreitas says. Accordingly, he suggests that healthy people band together as communities and make a decision to “vote these hateful people out of power, so that we can actually stay alive, survive,” and build the country going forward.
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Wow!!! This is sad… But in the interim if he can afford it… Buy his meds and then take the receipt to them… If the meds are prescribed by them and they don’t have it and you have to buy it, your monies will be reimbursed… This is not the wisest waiting on them if they can’t provide it… Life is more important so do the next best thing… Buy it and then submit your bill… At least that’s what I would do…
I completely agree with you on that, why is he waiting on them and why is his friend not assisting him in purchasing the meds he needs to SURVIVE? Many of times they did not have the meds that I needed and I just buy it myself and carry my receipt to them, I did get back my monies that I spent. People in Antigua seem to be depending on government for every nitty gritty.
@Irrate
“depending on government for every nitty gritty” what a stupid statement. You are refusing to hold the government accountable. MBS has a responsibility to obtain the drugs and don’t you think they should do there job? Antiguans paid into the plan to cover their drugs. Too many Antiguans make excuses for this uncaring government. Did you not read that the government is not paying to bring drugs into the country. Antigua will never progress as we have too many Antiguans who are prepared to accept crap from this government.
Franz cant even buy a proper lunch on a daily basis.
So he is willing to let him die then sue the government. The money you are saving to sue you can use to help buy the medication then claim afterwards. I think that’s more productive..
You all are missing the point. We all contribute to MB so we can get the benefits of the Scheme including prescription drugs. But we are not getting these benefits. What if a person cannot afford to buy their own drugs when MB is deficient? Some drugs are expensive and not everyone can afford to buy them privately. MB needs to do better to help poor people because even when MB cannot provide prescription drugs, they still expect you to pay your monthly MB deduction.
Come on Franz! Don’t play political football with “your friend’s” life. Raise the money if you can’t afford to front it.
MBS is a big ALP scam! The UPP need to make significant reforms when they win the next elections.
Remember they did make a significant reform when they were in office. Lovell appointed his wife to be the Chairwoman of the board. Damani Tabor headed the investment committee that invested 13 millions of dollars in Antigua and Barbuda Development Bank, in order for them to loan the money for a project to plant cotton and to buy a freshwater boat that ever sailed in our salt water. In other words, 13 million invested there was lost. Then they invested millions in CLICO. Monies there were lost as well. So you see they did reform Medical Benefits. And it cost us millions of dollars. The monies workers paid into the funds. And none of them has been held accountable for the mismanagement of so much money. And in case you forget at the same time the MSJMC was lacking all sort of basic equipment and many died because of that. And people had to go to private labs to do simple blood tests. Thank God the Labour Party remedy that situation. Today we even do Kidney transplants in the hospital. And look how our hospital was able to deal with the Covid 19 pandemic. Not once was the hospital overwhelmed.
@Sideline
Do you think that people should die because the hospital doesn’t have the necessary medication? This is the issue you should address . Instead You are behaving like an old person who can regurgitate what may or may not have happened in the past but can’t address what is happening today. I am convinced that the Labour Party is a cult that requires their members and supporters to support the party no matter what. Of course, there could be personal gain involved.
Have you called the MBS to find out if anything about this story is true? The story was debunked yesterday by the director of pharmacy from the MBS Mr. Andre Beauville. So here we go again. L lie has been thrown to us and ANR would not fact check it, but just publish anything that is said by the lying UPP candidates. This put our country in a very bad light when others worldwide read these things. That is why people like me are here time and time again to debunk the lies you guys are spreading. And you guys hate that we are doing that, because we show the world who you guys really are. LIARS.
“Accordingly, he suggests that healthy people band together as communities and make a decision to “vote these hateful people out of power, so that we can actually stay alive, survive,” and build the country going forward.”
Come again? So only healthy people can vote? LOL. Ok that one made me roll!
You guys missed the most important information:
The pharmacy council isn’t issuing license for the importation of the medication he needs and his stock is low and there’s no update when more will be available. The medication isn’t available for purchase because the license isn’t granted for anyone to bring into antigua.
So who is going to sue now? The Pharmacy council?
I’m so grateful you clarified that main point. I don’t believe most persons understood the meaning of not having that license. We should all try to understand what we read before commenting.
The Minister of Health and the Pharmacy Council need to come public and address this issue of them not issuing licenses. This is very serious.
Wow! But how much was allotted to the RAG-TAG QUEEN for her exclusive cancer treatment??? BEGGY BEGGY FRANZ needs to call up Baldwin Spencer and find out how he pulled off that $$$$ for the RAG-TAG QUEEN.
Pity his friend’s name is not Jackie Quinn. Cry a river Mr. G-R-E-A-T-F-U-L
@ the RAG-TAG QUEEN was sincerely ill, however MARIA BROWN was paid tens of thousands ($10,000’s)just to have a baby- can you imagine, she was given MBS money all because she was pregnant.
ASOT got hundred of thousands ($100,000’s) of money from MBS too for a liposuction! Was that right? And three I know a lot of the government ministers have drawn hundred of thousands of dollars from MBS for some simple medical procedures that could be done in Antigua but was done overseas in order to milk the scheme. I work there so I know.
THE HYPOCRISY OF THE ABLP IS BLATANT. We need to GET RID A DEM.
And how much did Jacqui Quinn got from the MBS? How come you don’t mention that, since you say you work there. And why not go and ask Mr. Andre Beauville, if it is true that MBS has run out of some medicines? He will tell you. Because he did come on Pointe FM and debunked that lie. So, there you go Mr. working there and don’t know anything.
So Fraz DeFreitas is going to sue MBS because the Pharmacy Council did not grant a license to bring in a certain drug🤔. Me nah to bright but if that is the case should it be the Pharmacy Council who is sued not MBS since the Pharmacy Council are the ones responsible for granting the license🤔. Franz DeFreitas me know you are not the sharpest tool in the shed but come on man think before you come on the media and chat one whole load of 💩. Btw ah who the lawyer going to take up this 🐃💩 case🤔.
Tabor >:
Remember Franz DeFreitas can spell G-R-E-A-T-F-U-L 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 He not the sharpest tool in the shed. Wasted years in George Bush country with NOTHING TO SHOW
Why is the Pharmacy Council not issuing Licences to import drugs?
Politic.
By now we know that wat Franz put out there was a big lie. And that the MBS is now trying hard to limit the damage done by this. And yes, ANR is part of the problem, by not realizing their civic duty of not publishing any and everything that is said. Many have now in fear called the MBS to make sure their medications are available. If you can only imagine what is going on in some, especially older people’s minds, when they hear that MBS has run out of medication. These charlatans have no concern whatsoever for the people they hurt and caused into confusion. And they do this all in the name of politics. And sad enough, these actions are not criminal. And cannot be punished by the law. But if you are in a club or a movie, or a flight and scream fire, or a bomb, then you can be arrested and charged. Franz has caused a similar public panic by spreading a lie, knowing he could have called the MBS and verified to make sure the story is correct. And ANR I hope the day comes, sooner rather than later, that you will see the need of accepting your civic responsibility of what you publish. Not everything is about Free Speech. Free Speech has accountability. Or eventually we will lose it.
Franz let your friend die then sue. That’s what friends do. You would get the same milage if you contact one of your friends in the US and get the medication.
Now these statutory bodies are paying some ridiculous salaries in comparison to other government developments. Don’t talk about board fees and the dining and wining during their board meetings. The chairman got pregnant between 2014 and 2022. He needs to walk to old road after eating so much at the board meetings.
Franz is UPP going to change this culture of fattening your supporters. Guys are senators , on two and three boards. Raping this country while poor people are suffering. Not even when our nurses or their families fall sick they get support for themselves or their family members. They better off taking the package overseas. Can you imagine a health care provider has to walk and literally beg behind the chairman for assistance. So we need a serious change not an exchange.
Calling on the people that if you are not getting justice ask your employer to withhold your statutory contributions. We have people dying for assistance .
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