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Tax Credits for Insurance Premiums
Development of a Health Tourism and
Offshore Medical Industry
Better Management of Public Health
Facilities
Strengthen Preventive and Primary Health
Care Service Delivery
Increase the Workforce of Medical/Health
Personnel in Critical Areas
A national health insurance scheme, “The Wellness Plan” will
be introduced in two phases, in order to provide basic health
insurance for all Jamaicans. We will provide incentives by offering
tax credits on insurance premiums paid by employers and
employees. Facilities will be put in place to enable hospitals to
accept health insurance payments.
A JLP government will promote health tourism, as part of an
integrated industrial policy.
Firstly, we would seek to establish the legal and regulatory
framework for health tourism. Opening up this avenue for funding
of the health sector will be tied to improvements in health care
facilities for Jamaicans, particularly those in the rural areas.
We will review the operations of the Regional Health Authorities
(RHAs), and maximize autonomy on personnel management,
financial management and decision-making, by restoring the
hospital health board structure.
To make our health facilities management more effective the JLP
government would also:
We will encourage Jamaicans through widespread public
education, to take responsibility for their good health and make
right choices. “Eating right and living right” can not only serve
to reduce fatalities from non-communicable diseases such as
cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes and cancer; it
also serves to reduce the burden placed on health services due to
preventable, lifestyle-induced ailments.
Preventive measures will include intensification of the National
Immunization Drive, with a view to achieving 95% coverage within
five (5) years.
A JLP government will also ensure collaboration between the
Ministries of Health and Education, to reduce the impact of
•
The first phase will target the elderly, poor and
vulnerable persons. Beneficiaries will receive doctors’
visits, in hospital visits (including room and board),
hospital outpatient visits, eye exams and other benefits.
•
The second phase will be extended to persons aged
35 – 60 years old and the scheme will be expanded
to include mammography, pap smears, colon and
prostate cancers tests
•
Training health workers in specialist areas that are in
short supply;
•
Recruiting workers from overseas, in order to
complement the local workforce
•
Offering incentives and improved remuneration and
conditions of service, to ensure adequate retention
•
establish performance targets;
•
implement effective monitoring mechanisms for the
delivery of health services to ensure patient satisfaction,
including independent audits of health facilities
•
introduce systems to ensure transparency and
accountability
•
institute sanctions for administrators who violate
reporting requirements
•
improve the system of surveillance and response of the
Ministry of Health,
We will honour our promise of providing the highly populated,
rapidly developing “Sunshine City” of Portmore with its first
hospital.
preventable, communicable diseases on children, and promote
structured physical education in primary schools.
Emphasis will be placed on strengthening primary health care
services, by upgrading the primary health care facilities; improving
access to pharmaceuticals and encouraging appropriate referrals,
in order to rationalize the use of hospital services.
This can be achieved by: