THE long-promised health and life insurance plan for practitioners in the entertainment and creative industries is to be launched in a matter of weeks.

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange made the announcement on Tuesday while making her contribution to the 2024/25 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives.

According to Grange, this will address situations in which there is no money to bury a practitioner upon his or her passing, or where some entertainers/creatives become ill and are unable to fund the necessary money for medical treatment out of their pocket.

“I know the need for this insurance and many practitioners and their families often turn to me as minister for assistance. I try my best, but this insurance plan will provide a better, more sustainable and more dignified option,” Grange said.

She told the House that following a competitive tender process, the contract was awarded to Guardian Life Insurance Company and that “we will sign the contract in a matter of weeks”.

“It is our expectation that through this deliberate action, artists and creative practitioners will take advantage of this scheme and so reduce their vulnerability to adversity and death as has been the current experience,” said Grange.

In the meantime, Grange noted that, starting today, Jamaica’s athletes will be in competition at the National Senior and Junior Championships, hoping to make the team for the 2024 Olympics Games in Paris which begin on July 26.

She pointed to the recent announcement that the Government will give $360,000 to each athlete who qualifies for the Olympics, to assist with their training and their nutrition.

“We’ve also set aside J$50 million in incentives for members of our national team and the contingent after they have competed at the Olympics and [returned] home,” Grange reiterated as she declared that the Government will use the opportunity of Paris 2024 to engage in cultural diplomacy.

“We will be partnering with the city of Nanterre to stage Jamaica Day on Friday, August 9, which will culminate with a mega reggae…concert, featuring Julian Marley, Skip Marley and Luciano. And then on August 11, we will partner with the CRC Church in Paris to stage Jamaica Praise featuring Kevin Downswell. So we are hitting Paris by storm,” she said.

She said the opportunity will also be taken to finalise the twinning of the city of Nanterre, France, and Spanish Town, Jamaica.

“The mayor of Nanterre and the mayor of Spanish Town will sign a partnership agreement which will see the start of a mutually beneficial partnership between the people of Nanterre and Spanish Town,” said Grange.