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Gov’t Creating Road Map for National Health Insurance Plan

By: , June 7, 2018

The Key Point:

Work is apace on the development of a policy proposal and road map for the sustainable implementation of a National Health Insurance Plan (NHIP) for Jamaica.
Gov’t Creating Road Map for National Health Insurance Plan
Photo: Adrian Walker
Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, making his contribution to the 2018/19 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on June 5. At left is State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green; and Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Fayval Williams.

The Facts

  • The proposal will address elements relating to the benefits package, which includes levels and sources of financing, legislative changes, provider network, and the requisite administrative and organisational structures.
  • The Ministry Paper also revealed that the National Health Fund (NHF) signed a six-month contract in December 2017 with Sanigest Internacional for the development of a policy proposal and road map for the design and effective implementation of the NHIP.

The Full Story

Work is apace on the development of a policy proposal and road map for the sustainable implementation of a National Health Insurance Plan (NHIP) for Jamaica.

The proposal will address elements relating to the benefits package, which includes levels and sources of financing, legislative changes, provider network, and the requisite administrative and organisational structures.

This is contained in a Ministry Paper tabled by Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, in the House of Representatives on June 5.

The Ministry Paper also revealed that the National Health Fund (NHF) signed a six-month contract in December 2017 with Sanigest Internacional for the development of a policy proposal and road map for the design and effective implementation of the NHIP.

“This is in keeping with the Ministry of Health’s 10-year strategic plan and will also closely follow the World Health Organization’s (WHO) strategy for Universal Access to Health and Universal Health Coverage, which was adopted by Jamaica at the Regional Committee of the WHO held in Washington DC in 2014,” the document said.

The Ministry Paper further said that work is well under way on the execution of the consultancy for the development of the NHIP, adding that elements related to the financial review and the expenditure on health have been completed, with the draft proposal submitted March 2018.

In addition, stakeholder consultations, inclusive of medical groups, the nurses’ association, private insurance companies, pharmacy and diagnostic groups, and trade unions, will be organised to provide comments on the draft proposal.

It is anticipated that by the end of the first quarter of the financial year, the consultancy will be completed, inclusive of the policy proposal and road map.

Last Updated: June 7, 2018

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