KINGSTON, Jamaica— Noted economist and Executive Director of the Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CAPRI), Dr Damien King, has been appointed by Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton to conduct a review of healthcare financing in Jamaica.

The appointment comes against the background of the rising cost of healthcare in Jamaica, with the National Health Fund expected to spend 30 per cent more or $40 billion over the next three years.

Tufton made the announcement of King’s appointment Tuesday during his contribution to the 2022/23 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives.

The minister had earlier pointed to the rising cost of healthcare in Jamaica and the increasing amount being spent on drugs each year to treat a range of illnesses, including non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which affect up to 720,000 Jamaicans.

“I have appointed Dr Damien King (to lead) healthcare financing review,” Tufton disclosed. He said King will lead the national discussions on the current challenges facing health financing and implications for poverty and the economic and social advancement of Jamaicans.

“The goal is to achieve greater public understanding of the challenges of health care financing and implications for each of us as individuals, to consult with local and multilateral stakeholders to explore health financing options and to assist in the advocacy that is necessary to ensure a more sustainable health financing model,” Tufton explained.

Noting that the NHF has projected that it will spend significantly more over the next three years, Tufton said: “So, we have few options. We either reduce the benefits to over 720,000 Jamaicans who are likely to need medicines or curative services and cannot afford to pay in the private sector, change our funding model to reflect a more sustainable approach to financing the health sector, or use policies and laws to change our lifestyle to improve our health profile and ultimately reduce costs”.

Tufton said the answer was likely to be a combination of all of the above.

“What is clear is that healthcare costs are rising rapidly and access can only be granted if financing is available. Healthcare is not free, we all pay, one way or the other. The question is how and how much. It is an issue we must tackle frontally in the coming years,” Tufton argued.

The minister argued further that it was time to restructure the health system to achieve a more sustainable financing mechanism and to do so in a way that ensures efficiency and accountability of existing expenditure as well as a greater proportional contribution to reflect the increased demands on the system.

“We also need to determine how this restructured health system is to be financed,” he said.

Tufton said he will, in the coming months, unveil a ministry paper on sustainable financing for the healthcare system and embark on a series of consultations within government and the country as well as with multilateral partners around healthcare financing.

This is a follow on to the Green Paper on a National Health Insurance Plan that was tabled in 2019, which was not pursued as desired due to the priorities of COVID-19.