Golding promises expanded scholarships and grants and upgrading all Type-B hospitals

Durrant Pate/Contributor

Opposition Leader Mark Golding has unveiled an alternative health system for Jamaica, which he argued would greater cater to the needs of the Jamaican public.

This alternative system would involve infusing more manpower, scholarships, training and upgrading all Type-B hospitals across the country.

A crucial plank of this alternative health system for Jamaica is the creation of a National Health Insurance Scheme.

“The next PNP (People’s National Party) Government will implement a National Health Insurance Scheme,” Golding promised, as he delivered his contribution to the 2023-2024 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives.

He also spoke about expanding primary health care across the island, which would include more mobile and community clinics as well as beefing up the current cadre of community health aides, who would be deployed in the communities all across Jamaica, in particular in rural areas.

The Opposition Leader touched on mental health, which he said is greatly in need of help.

Admitting that Jamaica currently faces challenges in the retention of health professionals, Golding told the House of Representatives that the next PNP administration would address these challenges through expanded training and education of health professionals, while at the same time seeking to retain them in the local health care service.

As for expanding training, the PNP president announced that his party would carry out a review of scholarships and grants for nurses while at the same time expanding nursing schools across the island.

In addition, he said the next PNP Government will be deploying doctors within the health system, offering incentives for post graduate training.

These doctors, he said, would be targeted to rural areas, where the need is great.

He announced that the next PNP Government will be upgrading all Type-B hospitals to reduce the overburdening at regional hospitals.