CHIEF Executive Officer of the National Health Fund (NHF) Everton Anderson has lauded members of staff for their unwavering commitment to the entity’s customers. He said it is the outstanding display of service excellence on the part of workers that has resulted in the fund being shortlisted in three categories in the Public Sector Customer Service (PSCS) Competition of the Office of the Cabinet. The areas are: Most Improved Customer Service, Most Creative/Innovative and Most Responsive.

“We have actively participated because we believe in delivering excellent service to the people of Jamaica. The major reason we decided to go out this year is that the attitude of the staff towards service is really unbelievable and I use the opportunity to commend them for the work that they continue to do,” he said. Anderson was speaking at a recent Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank at the agency’s head office in Kingston.

According to the NHF CEO, customer service is measured regularly, with the agency gaining a satisfaction rate of 95 per cent in 2014, up from 92 per cent in the previous year.

In addition, he noted that the waiting time for an NHF Card is now 15 minutes, which is a significant reduction over the seven to 10 days waiting period some years ago.

Anderson said the fund employs innovative ways to reach out to males in order to encourage them to seek healthcare, and has designed a competitive weight loss programme tailored specifically for men. The agency also expanded it service outlets to include a mobile clinic.

In the responsiveness category, the NHF has procured prescription drugs for chronic diseases, while providing institutional support to healthcare institutions.

The NHF, Anderson said, has been significant growth in its mandate since the fund’s establishment in 2003.

“We took over Health Corporation Limited in 2011 and started operating (Drug Serv) pharmacies. The expansion of the mandate is one of the reasons for entering the competition to indicate how we were able to manage given the growth in this mandate,” he said.

“We have now taken over three hospital pharmacies and access has improved. These are at the Bustamante Hospital for Children, Percy Junor Hospital (Manchester) and Port Maria Hospital (St. Mary). We are now seeing about 80,000 to 84,000 patients per month and dispensing in the region of 240,000 prescription items,” he added.

The NHF, he said, has also undertaken major infrastructural improvements to the hospital pharmacies and that there has been a significant increase in the number of access windows. “Black River has been totally transformed in terms of how the pharmacy looks and the comfort of staff and clients,” he said. The CEO further pointed to significant improvement in early diagnosis and screening under the health promotion mandate.

“In 2012, we were doing about 30,000 health screenings per year through our NHF community health days and other opportunities for screenings. Last year, we did over 80,000 screenings. This would enable persons to know their status and to act in a timely manner to control their illnesses,” he said.