Two-Year Contract with Digicel Cheaper than Former System - Jamaica's Health Minister

Jamaica's Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer, addressing issues affecting the health sector at a press conference at his Ministry, King Street, downtown Kingston on Thursday (November 12).

(Kingston, Jamaica, JIS) - The two-year contract that the Ministry of Health has entered into with telecoms provider, Digicel, will cost the Government significantly less than the former fragmented system.

This was stated by Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer, at a press briefing held at the Ministry, in Kingston, on November 12. He explained that the service covers 16 locations at a cost of $15.072 million, compared with the previous system which cost $25 million for only eight locations.

The package negotiated with Digicel includes 2,500 mobile phones, and 50 landlines, free of cost, with a monthly flat charge of $250 per mobile and fixed line.

"The Ministry is committed to reducing costs wherever we can, without compromising the quality of patient care and this is one area in which we have done so," Mr. Spencer said.

Meanwhile, the committee set up to identify areas where cost-cutting measures can be employed in the Ministry's operations, is to present its recommendations to the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Jean Dixon, by December 8.

The committee was established as part of a slew of initiatives aimed at containing cost in the face of the economic crisis that Jamaica continues to face.

"It is expected that the recommendations of this committee will address matters such as process improvements and identifying other sources of revenue," Mr. Spencer said.

He noted that the process of engaging staff at all levels in decision-making, as it relates to cost-cutting measures, had begun. This includes meetings with regional health authorities, visits to public hospitals, and public health departments.