JIPA Network, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health Grenada, announces their first stakeholder forum and conference, carded for November 18th and 19th, 2019.
The event, to be held at the Radisson Beach Resort, is the first in a series of stakeholder events to be held by JIPA, since the company entered into agreement with government to develop the plans, processes, and funding models for the ultimate realization of a National Health Insurance in Grenada.
In keeping with its nine month commitment and contract to engage in broad based, frequent consultations, JIPA has invited to the conference, local and international consultants on NHI, as well as a wide cross-section of Grenadian society, including the medical fraternity, Trade Union Council, private sector, insurance industry, civil society organizations, the churches, and government officials.
Over the course of the two days, while JIPA will formally introduce its brand and ideas to the Grenadian community, the focus of the event will be to listen to the community, public education, and information sharing.
According to the CEO of JIPA Network, Grenadian-born, Dr Kester Nedd, “Success in developing an NHI plan in Grenada is dependent upon how much each stakeholder understands the other stakeholder’s issues.”
He further commented that by its very nature, health care, as a subject, often presents conflicting agendas: “the insurance industry wants something different from the doctors and the consumers, and vice versa. JIPA’s role during the conference and in other consultations going forward, is to bring out those issues and deal with them up front, so that we can move forward.”
The event will feature three international keynote speakers. They are Dr. Robin Roberts, the Chairman of the NHI Bahamas, who is a practicing Urologist and a Professor at the University of the West Indies School of Medicine. He will be speaking on public private partnerships in health care and will discuss his experience in health system strengthening and in developing and running the NHI Bahamas.
On the agenda also, is Mr. Brian Hogan, the first CEO of the Turks and Caicos’ National Health Insurance program. He will provide a historical analysis of the NHI movement in the region and around the world. He will focus on the key elements needed, including technology, to make NHI successful. Dr. Vincent Omachonu, will also be a presenter. He is a professor of Industrial engineering at the University of Miami, who has appeared on CNN and wrote several books on health systems’ development, quality health care and leadership in health care. His focus will be on the issues surrounding health policy, health systems and quality. In addition, he will address what is needed from a consumer and provider standpoint.
Additional issues that will be addressed include health care funding methods, benefits, managed health care and value-based health care.
Cognizant of the serious challenges and shortcomings of the healthcare sector in Grenada, the two-day event is structured so as to maximize discussions and promote public education. The first day will focus on the feature presentations and information-sharing; while the second half-day session will consist four one- hour panel discussions, involving the presenters and all key stakeholders, designed to seek out and gather information from Grenadians.
While this initial event will see JIPA providing an indication of its preliminary plans and ideas, the company’s complete plan will be unveiled early in 2020, only after getting the necessary input from the various stakeholders throughout Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique.
