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Poverty to Prosperity
Budget Presentation
Gordon House March 19, 2015
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The functional state of health centres was also a barrier, and we started a
programme to refurbish, repair and equipped several health centres around the
Island to ensure that primary healthcare was functional and accessible in
communities across the island.
Our policy on health care was not about user fees, it was about access
. It was
about giving Jamaicans a chance at a healthy prosperous life.
Our policy on health is to remove all barriers to accessing health service at the
time of need.
Solutions to Health Care
There are other barriers to access that still exist and must be addressed. The structure of
healthcare financing, public information, education and empowerment regarding lifestyle
and health choices are key among them.
Free Access
Mr. Speaker, were it possible, the government should make the necessary allocations to
cover an agreed standard of healthcare to allow Jamaicans to access health care as needed.
As we all know, this is not going to be possible for Jamaica in the near future, if our
economy doesn‟t grow, and even then, government priorities are subject to change. There
is always a funding gap between what government allocates and the demand, quality and
extensiveness of the service required.