Health Minister Dr. Fenton Ferguson
As part of its goal of achieving universal access to health coverage, this year Jamaica will begin steps toward crafting a 10-year development plan for the sector.
The plan will be developed through Cabinet’s approval of the Primary Health Care Renewal Policy.
“This will result in a quantum shift in the way we offer health care in Jamaica,” Health Minister Dr. Fenton Ferguson announced yesterday.
Speaking at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston, during the opening ceremony of a two-day, high-level meeting on universal access to health and universal health coverage with representatives from several international health authorities and agencies, he said this was the latest measure in a number of steps Jamaica has already taken towards achieving that goal.
“Jamaica has been putting the necessary measures in place towards universal health coverage and will continue to do so within our limitations and resources and at the pace that best suits the needs of our people,” Ferguson stated.
Among the measures he outlined that are already in place were decentralization of the health-management structure; increased access to pharmaceuticals; renewal of the primary health-care infrastructure; improvement of the secondary health-care infrastructure; increased equipment in the health sector and the establishment of the National Health Fund.
“The health of the nation determines the productivity of our citizens and the productivity of our citizens will guide the pace at which we move to make improvements to several aspects of our society,” Ferguson said.
Acknowledging that achieving universal access to health and universal health coverage required strong multi-sectoral input, intervention and approach, the minister emphasised that although it was part of the country’s Vision 2030 goals, it was not a destination but an essential journey on which Jamaica must embark, bearing in mind that health was dynamic and diverse.
Jamaica is the first English-speaking Caribbean island to be visited for this exercise by the international health authorities and agencies’ representatives.
Read the full story at jamaica-gleaner.com
