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Poverty to Prosperity
Budget Presentation
Gordon House March 19, 2015
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In sticking to our commitment of free access to healthcare, the JLP administration increased
the allocation to Health in the 2007/08 Budget by 22% or JA$4.2b. This paved the way for
the implementation of the “No User Fee Policy” the following year. In the 2008/09 Budget
we increased the allocation by a further 25% or JA$5.8b.
So, Mr. Speaker, the “No User Fee Policy” actually replaced the income stream of
fees, which was not always certain or even collectable and infused net new
direct cash-flow into the health system.
We do not contend that the increased budgetary allocation was commensurate with the
actual demand and desired quality of health service. What is clear however, is that the JLP
increased funding considerably and maintained a commitment to continue doing so. In that
regard, considerable resources were expended on improving the state of primary healthcare
facilities, clinics and health centres. We promoted the use of clinics for basic healthcare
needs and hospitals for more serious and complicated medical cases.
These initiatives resulted in marked positive changes in the health-seeking behaviour
amongst ordinary Jamaicans. After the abolition of user-fees at public hospitals, persons
afflicted with illness, the elderly in particular, made greater use of the public healthcare
system rather than suffer in silence at home. Before the abolition of user-fees, thousands
of Jamaicans shied away from engaging the system, and many eventually died because
they were deterred by prohibitive healthcare costs.
In 2007, before user-fees were abolished there were 148,040 admissions to hospitals and
1,120,534 visits to health centres. In 2008 after the “No User Fee Policy” was implemented