Healthcare crisis - Tufton says only 20 per cent of Jamaicans have insurance

MANDEVILLE, Manchester:

Minister of Health Dr Christopher Tufton has said, more than half of the population cannot afford healthcare outside of the public-health system because they have no insurance.

"In Jamaica today, 20 per cent of our population has health insurance. Eleven per cent of that are government workers, and nine per cent of that are private-sector workers. With 80 per cent of the population without health insurance, it leaves us to the mercy of the public-health system. I represent the public system, and I would want to think it is a good system, but it's good to have options. We are underinsured, and we have overlooked one of the critical components of health wellness and productivity as a people," he said.

Tufton who was speaking at the first leg of Taking Responsibility tour' at the Manchester High School in Mandeville, Manchester, on Thursday, said the Government will be announcing the introduction of a national health insurance scheme in the coming months.

Complacency

"I don't know if it is the private insurance companies that are not offering enough creativity to the packaging of insurance or it is the free healthcare mantra that has caused people to become complacent," Tufton told the gathering.

He added: "The national insurance scheme that we'll be introducing will require people to buy into that scheme. Ultimately, we all die, and we will all die of something. What we are trying to do is prevent premature death and improve quality of life while we are alive."

He said the Taking Responsibility initiative is not a way to say that the Government is not playing a role in public health, but to get people to be intentional about their wellness as not everything can be legislated.

Guest speaker Dr Phillip Coombs said that some people with non-communicable diseases make poor decisions by waiting until their illnesses are in the advanced stages before seeking medical attention.