An allergy sufferer has attacked insurance company BF&M for stopping paying for the shots she has received for years.

The company covered the $160 serum shots Stephanie Darke received every three months from nurse Jutta Harvey at Dr. Jonathan Murray's Allergy Clinic of Bermuda.

But when Ms Harvey moved the practice to The Arches in March after Dr. Murray left the Island and continued to treat Ms Darke, the company stopped paying for the vaccine.

BF&M say the serum is not a prescription drug so it should not have been covered in the first place.

The company suggested Ms Darke, from Pembroke, take the matter up with her employer to see if her bosses will agree to pay for the treatment. But Ms Harvey and Ms Darke say the immunotherapy treatment is exactly the same and that although the vaccinations are not requested through a doctor's prescription, they cannot be ordered over the counter.

And Ms Harvey confirmed to The Royal Gazette that other insurance companies on the Island continue to pay for part of the treatment.

Ms Darke said the shots she has received for the past two years, which cover her allergies to mould, cockroaches, dust mites and cat dander, have worked wonders.

While she will be able to afford to pay for them, she fears others will struggle and stop taking the treatment, leading eventually to more costly hospital treatment which will have to be paid for by the taxpayer.

She told The Royal Gazette: "It has always been covered. When we were with Dr. Murray it was included in our policy.

"Now Jutta has gone out on her own and provided the exact same service, they don't want to cover it. Why should I ask the employer to increase premiums for a something that was already covered?

"If they wanted us to go back to our GPs for this, I'm sure they would find another excuse not to do it.

"It is a long-term treatment and I have been on it for two years and it has been fantastic. It has made a world of difference.

"Fifty or $60 a month will not kill me, but for a lot of people it will cause hardship. Allergies are such a big issue in Bermuda because of the environment.

"Thanks (to BF&M) for encouraging those of us who cannot afford the $160 vials to become more acquainted with our GPs and emergency doctors at the hospital."

Ms Harvey said she treats about 100 people with the shots - which inject bits of the allergy to gradually reduce the patient's susceptibility - and other insurance companies continue to pay for the treatment.

She said she provides the same service as she did with Dr. Murray, but at a different location, with Dr. Wesley Miller now as medical supervisor.

"The service is the same, with a different location and a different medical supervisor and patients always had to be recommended by a physician because the serum is not available over the counter," she said.

"I feel this puts an additional cost burden on people who are trying to prevent illness and treating their current illnesses.

"Everyone is concerned about the rising cost of healthcare and if we can prevent the problem, attention should be paid to that, and allergy shots prevent the onset of new allergies and decrease inflammation."

BF&M chief executive officer Glenn Titterton said: "Health plans cover prescription drugs and this serum i7s not a prescription drug.

"We were not aware of that because it was passing through the doctor's office, but it is something used by a registered nurse. It is bought in bulk and she fills vials.

"It isn't a prescription drug and isn't covered under a normal health care plan.

"What we would advise the lady to do is to go to her employer and make a complaint to them because the employer has to decide for themselves whether they want to extend the plan and pay additional premiums of whether they are happy with the existing plan of prescription drugs only.

"We are keeping it under continuing review. It is not a closed door but it is an issue between the employee and the employer."

Mr. Titterton said the problem arose because when Ms Harvey set up in March, she did not have an agreement with BF&M about what treatments would be covered.

But Ms Harvey said she wrote to the company on February 6 and did not receive a reply.

BF&M has now reached an agreement with Ms Harvey to cover other costs related to the allergy treatment, but not the serum.