Jamaica’s Ministry of Health Undertakes Public/Private Partnerships to Improve Access to Services
Kingston, Jamaica – Jamaica’s Minister of Health, Dr. Fenton Ferguson says the Ministry of Health has established several areas of public/private partnership aimed at improving access to quality and affordable health services.
Dr. Ferguson was speaking recently at the dedication ceremony of the new CT Scan machine and opening of additional rooms at Hargeaves hospital in Mandeville, Manchester.
He said as part of this the Ministry recently signed an agreement with Radiation Oncology Centre of Jamaica to provide radiation treatment for cancer patients who have been on the waiting list at the Kingston Public Hospital, the Bustamante Hospital for Children and the Cornwall Regional Hospital.
“The agreement will see these patients receiving faster radiation treatment services at no cost to them while we await the procurement and installation of the Government’s Linear Accelerator (LINAC) machines – the same types being used by ROCJ – so that we can begin to facilitate this type of treatment for several more patients,” Dr. Ferguson said.
Dr. Ferguson added that another agreement is in place with a company that offers diagnostic services.
“We also have an agreement with Erin Radiology and its affiliate KRIS Radiology which will see an increase in access to diagnostics services to users of the public health system to ensure that patients receive these services smoothly and at no cost to them. This is an example of a best practice public/private partnership in which the Government will pay reduced costs on behalf of patients in the event that our equipment is down and we are not able to provide these diagnostic services,” he explained.
He said these measures are being taken to provide Jamaicans with a quality of choice in the public health sector while we continue to work with our private sector partners to ensure that health care services are available to all.
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