Inter-American Development Bank Funding Programs In Jamaica To Fight Against Non-Communicable Diseases

KINGSTON, Jamaica, April 3, 2019 (CMC) – The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is providing US$100 million in loans to Jamaica, to fund programs, aimed at boosting the country’s fight against non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Dubbed the ‘Health Systems Strengthening for the Prevention and Care Management of NCDs Programme’, the initiative aims to improve the health of Jamaica’s population, by bolstering policies for the prevention of NCD risk factors, and implementation of a chronic care model, with enhanced access to integrated primary and hospital service networks.

Health Minister, Dr. Christopher Tufton, who signed the agreement with the IDB Chief of Operations, here, Adriana La Valley, said the program is “transformational (and) represents, for us, an opportunity that we should take advantage of, to change the narrative (and)… culture of public health, in the interest of achieving better health and wellness for our population, which is our ultimate objective”.

Minister of Health, Dr. Christopher Tufton (foreground), displays the signed US$100-million loan agreement with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB. Looking on (from left) are Chief of Operations, IDB, Jamaica, Adriana La Valley; Chief Medical Officer, Ministry of Health, Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie; Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dunston Bryan; and Senior Health Specialist, IDB, Dr. Ricardo Pérez-Cuevas. Photo credit: Michael Sloley/JIS.

The loan comprises two complementary elements – a US$50-million Programmatic Policy-Based (PBP) loan and a US$50-million investment loan.

The Programmatic Policy-based loan will facilitate measures to address prevention and control, through a people-centered, primary-health, chronic-care model.

On the other hand, the investment element comprises three components – US$40,155,000 for the organisation and consolidation of integrated health services networks; US$7,500 for the improvement of management, quality and efficiency of health services; and US$2,345,000 for program administration and evaluation.

It also includes upgrading and rehabilitation of health facilities and purchase of medical equipment; strengthening diagnostic services; design and implementation of an Electronic Health Record platform; and strengthening of telehealth/telemedicine capacity, among other things.