Jamaica To Receive Help From PAHO To Strengthen Health Systems

Jamaica is to receive technical assistance from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to strengthen its health systems and services.

This follows Cabinet’s approval for the Ministry of Health and Wellness to enter into an agreement with PAHO for the provision of technical assistance through a voluntary contribution.

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Fayval Williams, made the disclosure while providing details on recent decisions of the Cabinet, during a virtual post-Cabinet press briefing, on Wednesday (March 10).

She informed that Cabinet also approved the disbursement of US$800,000 as the voluntary contribution to PAHO.

Mrs. Williams explained that the technical assistance is necessary, given that the coordination between primary and hospital care and the organisational arrangements of the Regional Health Authorities (RHAs) need to be simplified and reoriented towards health outcomes, instead of financial and administrative outputs.

“The infrastructure of hospitals and medical equipment at the priority facilities need improvement to ensure that delivery of health services are efficient and cost effective,” she said.

Mrs. Williams noted that PAHO will provide technical assistance in the development of the Primary Health Care Policy and Strategic Plan and the development of an implementation plan for strengthening the steering role of the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

She noted that the assistance will also help to streamline the functions of the RHAs, conduct a needs assessment for health technologies, and develop a Health Technology Assessment Framework in the public health sector.

“The development of the Human Resources of Health (HRH) Gap Analysis, Strategic Five-year Policy, Action Plan for HRH and the review of the National Public Health Laboratories will also be a part of the technical assistance,” she informed.