#KINGSTON, Jan. 17 (JIS): Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, says the Ministry is to roll out its wellness agenda soon.
“It
includes a ‘Better For You’ menu in restaurants. So, when you go to a
restaurant you have items on the menu that you can choose from, based on what
is classified as being healthier in terms of the balancing of diet,” Dr. Tufton
said.
The
Minister was speaking at the launch of Canopy Insurance, held at The Gardens of
The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on January 16.
“Our wellness agenda means promoting
fresh [food], which is why we have market pop-ups, wellness garden in your
backyard, a nutrition policy for schools to guide what our children consume
each day, supporting the sugary drink restrictions and a wellness at work
programme,” Dr. Tufton said.
The Minister noted that the wellness agenda is aimed at encouraging
Jamaicans to recognise the importance of the preservation of health.
Meanwhile, Dr. Tufton provided an
update on the outsourcing of diagnostic services to 10 private-sector entities,
and pointed out that the Government has, so far, spent $35 million under the
initiative to help Jamaicans.
Regarding the National Health
Insurance Plan (NHIP) Green Paper, the Minister said discussions are to be
undertaken across the country this year, ultimately leading to a White Paper
and a Policy.
“One of the things I would like to do is to encourage private providers like Canopy to participate in that national discussion, and make suggestions as to how we can partner together in order to strengthen that partnership,” Dr. Tufton said.
The document is expected to lead to
a final proposal, aimed at providing appropriate levels of access, coverage,
and financial protection to the population.
GraceKennedy
and the Musson Group have forged a partnership that has seen the two companies
collaborating in the group health and life insurance market under the name, Canopy
Insurance Limited.
Chaired by Senator Don Wehby, the
company, which began operations on October 1, 2019, currently serves 10,000
members islandwide.
Senator Wehby said, to date, there
has been a smooth rollout of Canopy across the length and breadth of Jamaica.
“Our customers have seen and
experienced the world-class technological innovation of our offerings and its
ease of use, and critically, the quality of our team members and their heavy
focus on customer service,” he said.
Senator Wehby added that the Canopy
team has been working very hard on the ground and has already set the bar very
high where customer experience is concerned.
“As a result, we have started to
see encouraging signs of growth, with key accounts being signed, and even more
promising deals to be made, on the horizon,” he noted.