Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton: Diagnostic Services at No Cost

Over 40- thousand Jamaicans have benefited from diagnostic services with some 40-thousand 615 tests completed at private facilities at a cost of 1.4 billion dollars since the implementation of the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ enhancing healthcare services delivery project in September 2019. Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton made the disclosure sitting of Parliament on Wednesday, November 10.

The project was designed to collaborate with private providers of diagnostic services as a short- and medium-term strategy for the reduction in wait time at healthcare facilities and to alleviate overcrowding in hospitals through outsourcing of diagnostic services at no cost to the patient.

Minister Tufton says the over 40, 615 diagnostic tests completed under the Government’s Enhancing Healthcare Services Delivery Project, include CT scans, MRIs, ultrasounds, mammograms, and fluoroscopic studies, stressing that poor Jamaicans no longer have to wait for lengthy periods or go without these services.

He says the Ministry has conducted its own assessment of the intervention and preliminary findings indicate that due to the implementation of the project, bed stay time has been reduced on average by 2 days.

At the same time, Dr. Tufton notes that one of the main issues that affect the service delivery of health facilities is the lack of appropriate infrastructure to give information to clinicians so they can assess and diagnose illnesses and devise the appropriate treatment.

He says an investment of $700 million under the health services support project funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), will be made for medical equipment at the Spanish Town, St. Ann’s Bay, and the May Pen Hospitals.

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