coverage

The recent Caribbean Conference on Healthcare Financing, held in Antigua, has placed the discussion of universal health coverage and health financing squarely on the table of Caribbean countries again, but this time with more emphasis on the role technology can play to facilitate this process.

This is a much-welcomed approach as the power of technology to fuel the development of the healthcare sector has been long discussed but slow to implement.

The announcement that a vaccine for COVID-19 is ready is one that has brought much relief to many persons around the world. Vaccines have, for decades, been one of the best tools to prevent certain diseases.
Since Jamaica began its vaccine programme, the country has been successful in eliminating or significantly reducing the occurrence of certain vaccine-preventable diseases. Vaccines work, and there is no doubt about that. We have made remarkable progress and our vaccine programme has consistently attained high percentages in terms of the number of persons who are vaccinated.