Jamaica To Host Regional Health Financing Conference

Chief Executive Officer of the NHF, Everton Anderson, told JIS News that the event, which is being held in the island for the first time, will provide opportunities for best practices to be garnered, and  also help Jamaica to harness crucial information in the quest to finalise a national health financing policy.

“This year’s event presents an opportunity for further sharing of information, and at this time where there are global challenges in financing not only healthcare, but most countries’ activities, it is an opportune time for Jamaica to host this event, and to add to our overall strategy of financing our healthcare,” Mr. Anderson said.

The inaugural conference was held in 2006 in the Turks and Caicos, and since then, other successful conferences have been held in Aruba in 2007; Trinidad and Tobago in 2008; Saint Marten in 2009; Belize in 2010; Bermuda in 2011, and Curacao in 2012.

The annual event arose out of the desire of social security organisations in the Caribbean to enhance their capability and capacity to assume greater roles in the administration of national health financing initiatives, as mandated by most Caribbean Governments.

“This year’s conference will provide a forum to explore opportunities for collaboration and networking in the area of health financing among Caribbean health and social security organizations. Topic for discussions will include policy concerns and best practices in securing added value in healthcare services, health promotion and prevention strategies to manage non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and the application of information and communications technology (ICT) tools to modernise healthcare systems,” the NHF CEO informed

Jamaica’s National Insurance Scheme (NIS) will be a major focus during the event.