The National Health Fund (NHF) provided $9.1 billion in medical subsidies to card holders last year.

The agency also filled 2,793,165 prescriptions at drug serv pharmacies for essential medications for over 700,000 Jamaicans.

The agency said the NHF card programme also increased with 27,977 new beneficiaries in 2024.

This brought the total active beneficiaries to 350,755.

Throughout the year, the NHF also processed 4.83 million claims. The average subsidy paid was 50.47% of the cost of the drugs.

Notably, subsidies for over 600 drugs used to treat 13 of 22 conditions covered by the NHF were also increased in October 2024.

Meantime, in her State of the Nation address in the senate yesterday, Government Senator Dr. Sapphire Longmore said the NHF further expanded benefits for medical screening last year.

She noted that the agency now provides subsidies for pap smears.

Dr. Longmore added that the NHF also provides subsidies for prostate cancer screening.