KINGSTON, Jamaica – The National Health Fund (NHF) opened its EduCare Grant Programme for the 2023/2024 period on June 21 to continue enabling aspiring health professionals to matriculate and contribute significantly to the delivery of healthcare in Jamaica.

The NHF EduCare Grant, launched in 2020, exists to provide financial assistance to students currently faced with monetary challenges in completing their course of study.

“The unfortunate reality is that there are students who face financial roadblocks in their pursuit of higher education. Three years ago, we decided as an agency to put a structured programme in place and we are pleased to know that since then we have been able to assist approximately 110 students with some $43 million towards their studies. It is our hope that they will transition to play their roles in delivering quality healthcare in Jamaica,” chief executive officer Everton Anderson noted.

Students pursuing healthcare degrees from accredited institutions are being invited to apply for a measure of $15 million allocated each year for the grant programme.

The programme is not only for students studying traditional medical-related courses.

“Over the period we’ve seen that the majority of the applications submitted are from students in medicine, nursing or pharmacy. We want to emphasise, however, that students pursuing fields such as podiatry, public health, physiotherapy, radiology, and dentistry, to name a few, can also benefit, provided the other criteria are met. All these professions as a collective contribute to an efficient healthcare system. Therefore, if there is a true financial need we are inviting them to seize this opportunity,” director of Health Promotion, Public Relations and Customer Care, Shermaine Robotham said.

Interested applicants must:

– Be Jamaican nationals

– Be enrolled full-time in an accredited tertiary institution

– Have a GPA of 3.0 and above

– Be able to prove financial need

Successful applicants receiving over J$300,000 will be required to enter a bonding agreement for a period to be determined by the Ministry of Finance and Public Service.

For more information, prospective grantees may visit the NHF’s website at www.nhf.org.jm/educare, email educaregrant@nhf.org.jm or call 876-906-1106.