The issue of health has been in the spotlight now for some time and although there have been many negatives the positive is that we can now have a true and frank discussion in the public sphere as to where our health sector needs to go. The success of the health sector relies on the participation of every member of this society.
I want to thank the team at the Ministry of Health for recognizing the importance of a long term vision for health even as systems are put in place to address immediate and medium term issues and challenges. The fact is that in order to effectively deal with the issues in the health sector we have to take a holistic approach. We have to admit that the health sector is in need of a development plan. The current system is outdated as we have not made any significant systemic changes for decades. Over those decades we have seen changes in the population including the density of cities and towns, the epidemiological landscape has change from communicable to a preponderance of non-communicable diseases and the world has become more of a global village with borders more susceptible to the introduction of previously unseen diseases for some Regions and the re-introduction of diseases for others.
We face several challenges in the health sector while we also grapple with the effects of other issues such as climate change and the economy as well as other social determinants of health such as crime and violence, poverty and education level. These all impact the level of service and delivery that are available in the public health sector. The study commissioned by the Ministry of Health in 2012 entitled “Sustainable Financing and Reform of the Health Sector to Improve Effectiveness, Efficiency and Quality of Care in Jamaica” indicated that the country is presently undergoing demographic and epidemiological transitions. In addition it noted the following:
- With Jamaicans living longer and mortality rates declining, the longer-living population will have greater lifetime exposure to non-communicable diseases.
- Non-communicable disease-related prevalence and deaths have increased steadily across the entire Jamaican population in the last ten years.
- In 2030 the prevalence of diabetes among persons between the ages of 15 and 74 would be expected to increase by 47%.
- In 2030, it is likely that the prevalence of hypertension will be twice the one observed in 2000.
- By 2030, Non-communicable diseases are expected to account for nearly 71% of the total number of deaths.
- In 2030 the number of accidents and emergencies to be dealt with in Jamaican hospitals is expected to double
- The number of outpatient care cases is expected to increase by 39% and the number of surgeries performed is expected to increase by 58%.
It is clear that there will be a considerably increased burden on the health system by 2030. The burden and distribution of illness has shown that the present system is outdated and we need to re-align the location of health facilities with the present need of communities. The services also need to be aligned to fit the demand. Today’s signing of the agreement for the crafting of the ten year development plan for the health sector is therefore an important investment to take us towards where we need to be to provide relevant and sufficient quality and affordable health care delivery and services to the population.
The general objective of the Project is the strengthening of the strategic development planning process for the health sector focusing mainly on the continued roll-out of the Primary Healthcare Renewal Programme and Non Communicable Diseases as part of an integrated health service delivery. This includes a reconfiguration of the clinical network of providers in order to improve clinical management and use of resources and to ensure that all points of entry into the healthcare system are prepared to offer the basic package of primary healthcare services.
We are putting in place an oversight Steering Committee to ensure that the plan is objectively developed based on the scientific evidence and in a non-partisan manner. The Committee will include personnel from the Government, the Opposition, international partners, the medical profession, academia, the private sector, a user of our facilities and the main health associations. I charge the members to provide the necessary guidance to ensure that the plan is done in a timely manner with proper consideration given to all factors affecting the health sector.
I want to recognize the Hon. Prime Minister for acknowledging the need to place great focus on health and has therefore committed through the Manifesto of this Government to do all we can to meet the goal of a healthy and stable population by 2030. We have put this in action by making several strategic moves across the health sector and made major investments since 2012.
As you know, I only re-entered the Ministry of Health this week and in light of the present concerns I will immediately be doing the following:
- Meeting with the mothers of the babies who died from infection at the University Hospital of the West Indies and the Cornwall Regional Hospital.
- Reviewing the reporting relationship with the Regional Health Authorities and the University Hospital of the West Indies. I will be signing an administrative order instructing that the RHAs and UHWI report to the Ministry of Health in a timely manner.
- Holding the RHAs accountable for implementing the corrective measures documented by the Ministry of Health and PAHO team.
- Meeting with the Board Chairmen of the UHWI and RHAs this week. I already met with the technical team at the Ministry of Health.
- Additional resources have already been provided to the RHAs to the tune of over $1.5 billion over the last five months.
- The RHAs are also expected to sign Service Level Agreements this week outlining the Key Performance Indicators and service delivery standards which we expect them to meet.
I want to thank the Inter-American Development Bank for continuing to believe in Jamaica and what we can achieve. I also want to acknowledge the role of the Planning Institute of Jamaica which has been working very closely with the Ministry of Health on several issues over the years.
We are moving forward with putting in place the necessary long term strategies to improve the health sector even as we also focus on satisfying the immediate and medium term needs. These efforts in the health sector have to be underpinned by a wider societal commitment to combat other issues affecting health including crime and violence. This will require an all-of-society approach in which every individual needs to be aware of his/her contribution. Jamaicans have to come together and recognize that a key element of the development of the country lies in our ability to adequately manage the health requirements of the nation.
Let us therefore unite for the future of Jamaica, our children and their children and put our efforts into making Jamaica the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business.
Thank you.