“I really don’t want to have to come to address this matter again because it’s a personal matter for me and my family. And I have children, and these are the things I tell people that you have to be mindful of,” remarked Micoud North MP, Jeremiah Norbert on Monday as he laid to rest claims that he had benefitted from government assistance to cover his medical costs.
Norbert’s clarifications come as Opposition Leader and former Prime Minister Allen Chastanet says his administration had provided some degree of financial relief to Norbert, who was contesting the Micoud North seat. Norbert, on the other hand, denied these claims and says a mixture of his personal health insurance and out-of-pocket payments covered his bills.
“I have with me a receipt from Tapion Hospital to a tune of in excess of $70,000 and that expense was covered by my personal insurance, NAGICOR Insurance. And I made my co-payment,” Norbert explained while flashing a copy of his receipt to reports at Monday’s pre-cabinet press brief.
Norbert went on to clarify that after being treated at the medical facility in Saint Lucia, he was airlifted to Martinique for further treatment. All these expenses, he notes categorically, were borne by himself and his insurance.
“The air ambulance that took me from Saint Lucia to Martinique, the fee was, I think, 5,400 euro, or equivalent, about a little over 17,000 East Caribbean Dollars. My insurance, again, settled that bill, along with my co-payment. In Martinique, my bill was in excess of 23,000 euros, just over 92,000 Eastern Caribbean dollars. That bill as well was settled in part by my insurance. And to date, I can tell you that I, Jeremiah Norbert, am still paying part of that bill,” he explained.
Norbert adds that none of his bill invoices indicated that any deductions were made stemming from any sort of government or donor assistance. “Nowhere on the bill did I see minus 10,000 or minus any amount because somebody else made a payment. I got the bill in full. It’s here.”
The MP’s account of what transpired is in stark contrast to that of Opposition Leader Allen Chastanet, who claims that his administration had made a donation towards Norbert’s medical expenses.
