[File Photo]

The Government says delays in payments under the General Practitioner Partnership Program and Laboratory Partnership Program are largely due to anomalies and irregularities identified in claims submitted by some service providers.

Responding to a question from Faiyaz Koya in Parliament, Esrom Immanuel acknowledged that payments to providers under the schemes have been delayed.

Immanuel says the delays are not due to a lack of commitment by the government to meet its financial obligations.

He says they are instead linked to discrepancies in documentation and issues uncovered during the verification process.

The Minister says 52 approved general practitioners, dental practitioners, and 20 medical laboratories are currently serving patients under the scheme across the country.

A total of 162,000 people are registered, with more than 688,000 patient visits recorded so far at a cost of around $33.2 million to the government.

Immanuel says as of today, payments to medical laboratories and dental practitioners have been made up to week 187, ending 22 March this year.

Payments to general practitioners have been made up to week 183, ending 15 February.

He says around $25.9 million has been paid to general practitioners, approximately $2 million to dental practitioners and $5.4 million to medical laboratories.

Immanuel told Parliament the payment cycle includes claim submission through FijiCare Insurance Limited, followed by verification and data cleansing before being processed by the Ministry.

He says that where discrepancies are identified, claims are returned for clarification, which can delay processing.

Among the issues identified are incorrect invoice figures, expired annual practicing licences, billing for services outside the service agreement, and instances of what the Minister described as unethical billing.

He says the Ministry is continuing to review the scheme to ensure its long-term sustainability, including possible restructuring and the potential integration of some functions into the Ministry of Health to improve efficiency and service delivery.