Chamber educates members on Universal Health Care
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Chamber educates members on Universal Health Care |
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Friday, November 12, 2004 - The St. Lucia Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture hosted an Executive Luncheon yesterday at the Indies Conference Centre to educate its membership on the up-coming Universal Health Care system. Speaking to the Government Information Service (GIS), guest speaker Miss Emma Hippolyte, Director of the National Insurance Corporation said she was pleased with the outcome. The other speaker was Dr. Stephen King, Chief Medical Officer, who has been playing a leading role in the development of the health scheme. In September 1997, the Minister of Health appointed a Health Sector Reform Committee which started the most recent Health Sector Reform process. Cabinet in December 2000 approved the policy presented in the Health Sector Reform proposal document dated March 2000. The vision is a health sector that is designed to produce “wellness” in the comprehensive sense, including mental, physical, and social health. The underlying belief is that a people who are well “holistically” will be maximally productive and therefore in a position to fully develop themselves, their families, their communities and the nation. Essentially, the health sector is responsible for ensuring that the most valuable national resource, that is, the people, will be well enough to allow for maximum human resource development. Universal Health Care (UHC) is being proposed as a supplementary financial mechanism for the health system. It proposes to: > Maximize the use of health resources and create a more efficient health system capable of providing quality health services in the most effective manner; > Reduce the impact of poverty by making health care affordable and accessible to all in need of care; > Reduce the resource gap in health to allow for more comprehensive coverage of health needs; > Focus resources on priority needs; > Incorporate appropriate incentive and accountability frameworks into all provider and health worker agreements to ensure value for money; The overall aim of the Universal Health Care (UHC) is to ensure that no one in need of care will be denied quality health services. It is believed that the country can deliver to the people, a well functioning health system driven by a robust finance mechanism. The people in turn can deliver to the country, a reduced burden of disease and enhanced productivity. Dr. Stephen King and Ms. Emma Hippolyte addressed issues on How Will UHC Work? How Much Will It Cost? Who Pays? When? and What Happens to the Private Sector? More information on the UHC can be obtained from the Ministry of Health and the NIC. |
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