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The government is reviewing the Free General Practitioner Partnership Program and Laboratory Partnership Program to improve efficiency, accountability and long-term sustainability.

This follows ongoing irregularities identified in claims submitted by some service providers, anomalies in claims during its weekly verification process which led to the delay of payment from government.

Speaking in Parliament, Minister for Finance Esrom Immanuel says the review includes possible restructuring options and the potential integration of some functions into the Ministry of Health to strengthen service delivery.

“However, these delays are not due to a lack of commitment by the government to honour its financial obligation.Rather, they are a result of anomalies and lack of due diligence from some service providers themselves.”

He says between 20 and 25 percent of invoices are returned each week due to inaccuracies in figures submitted by providers.

He says other issues identified include expired annual practising licences among doctors at approved government GP clinics and claims submitted for services not covered under service agreements.

Immanuel also raised concerns over what he described as unethical billing practices. He says these include clinics billing both a consultation and a review for the same patient on the same day, consultation fees being charged for pre-arranged appointments such as ultrasound scans, and multiple ECG charges submitted under claims.

The Minister says there have also been instances where clinics claimed dressing costs under administration of injections despite records showing patients were not administered injections.

He says all claims under the scheme undergo detailed verification to ensure only legitimate and accurate claims are paid.

Immanuel says claims that are free of discrepancies can generally be processed within 10 to 14 days, however payment timelines can be extended when anomalies are detected or when practitioners do not respond promptly to requests for clarification.