Government is taking steps to have Bermuda added to the UK list of rabies-free countries.

Government veterinarian Jonathan Nisbett disclosed this in the Department of Agriculture & Fisheries July bulletin.

His report comes on the heels of news that the UK Government is considering easing its quarantine regulations for animals entering Britain from certain countries.

Dr. Nisbett suggested that Bermuda, a country where there has not been a case of rabies in more than 40 years, was not on the list possibly as a result of an oversight or error by the UK Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) or due to the fact that the Ministry had not completed its list.

He explained that the Department of Agriculture & Fisheries had taken steps to have Bermuda added to the list.

A report of the status of major animal diseases in Bermuda has been sent to the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) and the Agriculture & Fisheries Department has demonstrated that rabies continued to be absent from theIsland.

The Department has also shown that regulatory measures are enforced to ensure that rabies does not enter the Island.

A second report to MAFF has also been prepared by the Department which demonstrates that Bermuda meets the international criteria set by OIE for "rabies-free'' status.

The report acknowledged that whilst not meeting certain aspects of the practices suggested by OIE, Bermuda's standards still afford the Island significant protection from the introduction of the disease.

ELDERLY MAN COMPLAINS OF ULTRASOUND CHARGE HTH Elderly man complains of ultrasound charge A 65-year-old Bermudian has claimed that Government MP Ewart Brown's medical practice, Bermuda Healthcare Services, drastically overcharged him for an ultrasound.

Mr. Willoughby F. Richardson said he was told by Dr. Brown's staff that he should have an ultrasound of his kidneys.

He said he was not told that he had the option of having the procedure done at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, nor was he told what the charge for the ultrasound would be, nor how much his insurance would pay towards the cost of the procedure.

In the end he was charged $700 for the ultrasound which, according to hospital personnel, would have cost $207 if performed at the hospital.

The cost of medical procedures in Bermuda are largely controlled by The Fee Schedule, which is agreed each year between doctors and the insurance companies, and principally covers hospital procedures.

Dr. Andrew West, President of the Bermuda Medical Society, told The Royal Gazette that the Fee Schedule is ratified by the Ministry of Finance each year and becomes legally binding.

"If a physician charges more for a procedure than what is permitted by the Fee Schedule, he is breaking the law,'' Dr. West said.

Mr. Richardson, who is in the GEHI (Government Employees Hospital Insurance) plan, received $130 towards the cost of the ultrasound, an item which is on the Fee Schedule.

According to information provided by a local medical insurer, the Fee Schedule stipulates that the charge for this particular kind of ultrasound should be approximately $199 if the procedure is performed at the hospital.

Dr. West said generally, when a procedure is performed at a doctor's office, the Fee Schedule provides for a ten percent mark-up on what is stipulated for the hospital.

When contacted by The Royal Gazette , Dr. Brown said he did not discuss patient's bills with the media and invited the patient who had complained to revisit his office to discuss the matter.

HEALTH HTH