President Danny Faure today assented to the Overseas Treatment Act 2018, in a ceremony held at State House today. The final draft of the Bill was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on 28th March this year and was considered and approved by the National Assembly on 13th June.

This new law will bring more transparency to the manner in which overseas diagnosis and treatment service is provided by the Government.

The management of overseas treatment will be undertaken by the Overseas Diagnosis and Treatment Unit, established within the Health Care Agency. This Unit is headed by a Manager who will administer the responsibilities and functions of the Unit. A Deputy Manager will also be appointed.

“This Act put in very clear terms many of the procedures already in place and therefore in line with the President’s calling for us to put more emphasis on transparency and good governance, this Act highlights the way in which any citizen in our country can have access to overseas treatment. It outlines the procedures which the specialists within the Seychelles hospital can refer somebody for overseas treatment and it also speaks of the rights of the citizen in relation to accessing that treatment,” said Minister for Health, Mr Jean-Paul Adam in his remarks.

He continued, “It also addresses where there may be concerns in terms of citizens who feel that their situation has not been adequately catered for within the public health system and whereby they seek the second opinion either, in the private sector or overseas. Those scenarios the private sector specialists can also refer through a specialist within the Seychelles hospital to the Overseas Diagnosis and Treatment Board. Alternatively if a person seeks their own treatment overseas, they may seek refund, if they meet the criteria to do so and those criteria include if a person has fallen ill overseas in a manner that could not have been foretold and that needed urgent treatment or if a person sought a second opinion and diagnosed with a disease which was not diagnosed in Seychelles but also needed immediate treatment. A person who undertook a routine medical check-up and is diagnosed with a disease which was not diagnosed in Seychelles and which needed immediate treatment. Or if the person has gone for treatment which automatically, in any case, would have been referred for treatment overseas”.

The Overseas Diagnosis and Treatment Board will consist of a Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson and five other members.

“Also refund can be considered where an error of judgement has been committed in Seychelles, either by the specialist who was referring the case or in terms of the Board assessment. The new Act also establishes a form of Appeals mechanism. We were already operating an appeals mechanism but this makes it clear in the Act as to what is the methodology that somebody will follow if they feel aggrieved by the process,” said the Minister.

The Appeals Committee will comprise of a Chairperson and two other members who are specialists working in the Seychelles Hospitals.