Dr. Wilkinson, responding to claims circulating on social media of an asthmatic patient being refused treatment for financial reasons, reiterated that all asthmatics are seen and given medical attention immediately on arrival.
“As a matter of fact, any asthmatic who is having an attack can simply walk right into the asthma bay, let the nurse on call know what the problem is and treatment would be started as soon as they are assessed,” the hospital’s Medical Chief of Staff said.
Dr. Wilkinson further stressed that there is never any financial barrier to access for any asthmatic coming into the hospital, “therefore I cannot foresee a situation where an asthmatic would have had to be turned back because they had no money to pay because such situation cannot exist under the current policies that we have at the hospital.”
Furthermore, Dr. Wilkinson reaffirmed the policy at the JNF General Hospital, which ensures that there is no financial barrier to any person seeking any other medical care at the hospital’s emergency room.
Dr. Wilkinson stated, “There is never any financial barrier to access to care in that if one comes into the emergency room with an emergency, he or she is seen. Of course, there would be questions after about the financial arrangements as it relates to the payment for services offered and that is either done concurrently or it’s done at the end of the treatment process.”
“If one does not have the financial means they are never turned back, so again I cannot foresee any situation where any patient is denied care at the Joseph N. France Hospital because they did not have funds when they were presented to the emergency room,” the Medical Chief of Staff said.
