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Check if you can use this service

You can use the Special Benefit Service if you are a Barbadian citizen or permanent resident and a doctor has given you a prescription on the Barbados National Drug Formulary.

Who gets the lowest price

You pay nothing at a government polyclinic pharmacy, and only the dispensing fee at a private SBS pharmacy, if you are:

• aged 65 or over
• under 16 years old
• prescribed medication for asthma, cancer, diabetes, epilepsy, glaucoma or hypertension (any age)

Everyone else

If you do not fall into one of the groups above, you can still collect your medication free at a government polyclinic pharmacy. At a private pharmacy you will pay the full price.

How to get your medication

1. 1

   What to bring

   You will need your Barbados ID card, plus one of the following to prove permanent residency:

   • Your passport stamped by Barbados Immigration confirming permanent residency
   • A Permanent Resident's certificate from the Barbados Immigration Department

   If you are collecting for a child, bring the child's birth certificate or ID, your own ID, and your permanent residency documents. If you are not the parent, bring a letter of guardianship.

   If your stamp is in an old passport, bring both old and new passports. If your new passport has no stamp, visit Immigration at Careenage House, The Wharf, Bridgetown first.

2. 2

   Get a prescription

   A prescription can come from a public-sector doctor (polyclinic or Queen Elizabeth Hospital) or a private doctor.

   Find out which prescription colour you have

   The paper colour tells you where the prescription came from and where it can be used.

   Blue

   From a public polyclinic or health centre. Free at a government pharmacy, dispensing fee only at a private SBS pharmacy.

   Pink

   From a private doctor. Free at a government pharmacy, dispensing fee only at a private SBS pharmacy.

   Yellow or green

   From a Queen Elizabeth Hospital outpatient clinic. Free at a government pharmacy. Not covered at private pharmacies, so you will pay full price. Ask your hospital doctor to reissue on a standard form if you want to use a private pharmacy.

3. 3

   Choose where to go

   Government polyclinic pharmacy: medication is completely free. 12 locations across the island. You do not have to use the polyclinic in your parish.

   Private SBS pharmacy: a small dispensing fee applies, but there are more locations with evening and weekend hours. Use the directory to find one near you.

4. 4

   At the pharmacy

   1. Hand your prescription and ID documents to the pharmacist.
   2. The pharmacist will check your eligibility against the Barbados Drug Service register.
   3. If you are eligible, the pharmacist will give you your medication.
   4. At a government pharmacy you pay nothing. At a private SBS pharmacy you pay the dispensing fee only.

   If your documents are not accepted, do not pay full price. Ask the pharmacist to call the Barbados Drug Service on (246) 535-4300 first.