Caribbean News
More than 500,000 Jamaicans apply for COVID Care Programme
KINGSTON, JAMAICA – May 13, 2020 – The Government’s COVID Allocation of Resources for Employees (CARE) Programme has received more than 500,000 applications across the available grant types.
Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke, made the disclosure while giving an update in the House of Representatives on May 12.
He said that given the disproportionately high number of applications for the Compassionate Grant (over 400,000), processing and payment of these has taken precedence.
Dr. Clarke informed the Lower House that Compassionate Grant transfers to financial institutions began during the middle of last week and the funds have been available to applicants since May 7.
He noted that many persons selected to receive the funds through remittance companies.
“We had a total of 401,314 Compassionate Grants, of which 210,267 applications sought the commercial bank avenue of payment, 162,024 sought to be paid through remittance agencies, and 29,023 sought to be paid through credit unions/building societies,” he told the House.
He said that of the total number of applicants, approximately 378,919 were deemed eligible and 22,395 or six per cent were determined to be ineligible due to the fact that they are on a recent payroll.
So far, approximately $2.65 billion in Compassionate Grant payments for some 265,000 applicants, or 70 per cent of those eligible, has been made to the financial institutions selected by applicants. The remainder are being processed, including for the validation of banking information.
The Finance and the Public Service Minister said applicants who have received a text message confirming eligibility and whose bank accounts have been verified can expect the funds to be sent directly to their account.
More than 106,000 applicants, who elected to receive Compassionate Grants by way of their bank accounts, have had their accounts credited.
“Where the bank account information submitted is not valid, which may arise, for example, if the name on the account differs from the name on the application, or if the branch is incorrect, or if the account is dormant, the applicant receives a text message advising of such and they are invited to correct the banking information or to select to receive their grant by remittance. Once the updates are completed, these transfers will be made after revalidating and batching,” Dr. Clarke said.
“Last Friday, May 8, we had 77,000 applicants in this category. As at May 12, that number was reduced to 44,000 as applicants corrected their banking information,” he noted.
Dr. Clarke is reminding persons collecting grants through remittance agencies that they are required to present a government-issued picture identification (ID) card, Tax Registration Number (TRN) and Application Reference Number.
“Where an applicant does not have a government-issued ID but is on the printed Voter’s List, he/she can contact the Electoral Office of Jamaica, which will open their offices on May 13,” he indicated.
He is appealing for beneficiaries to follow the guidelines of remittance companies to ensure an orderly procedure for collection.
He said that beneficiaries have until June 30 to collect the funds from their chosen financial institution, “so there is no need to rush”.
Dr. Clarke noted that arrangements have been made for beneficiaries to collect payments through remittance companies on the grounds of the National Stadium and inside the National Arena in order to allow for a more orderly and comfortable process.
“We will be moving to make similar arrangements at large open spaces in other parishes, starting with St. Catherine, where we have a large number of applicants,” he said.
In addition, Dr. Clarke said the Government is exploring mechanisms for third-party collection of Compassionate Grants for persons over 65 years old.
JIS News By LATONYA LINTON
Castries, March 2025. Saint Lucia has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring human rights for all.
This was the collective assertion, as over 20 national stakeholders participated in a two-day national Human Rights workshop. This initiative was hosted by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ (OHCHR) Regional Caribbean office, in collaboration with the UN Resident Coordinator’s satellite office in Saint Lucia, and the Ministry of External Affairs, International Trade, Civil Aviation, and Diaspora Affairs. 
The workshop, was designed to enhance awareness of the International Human Rights System, including treaty bodies and human rights mechanisms; build capacity of government officials and civil society members in data gathering and human rights reporting; and to highlight the role that respective agencies and their constituents play within this system. The Ministry of External Affairs, International Trade, Civil Aviation and Diaspora Affairs is the focal agency for Human Rights in Saint Lucia.
In welcoming participants, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs Ms. Janelle Modeste-Stephen, noted that advancing human rights was a shared responsibility. “Government must enact policies and safeguard rights. Civil society must continue to advocate and mobilize. The private sector must embrace inclusive practices. Communities must challenge discrimination and uphold the dignity of every individual,” She urged stakeholders to use the workshop as an opportunity to learn, collaborate and commit to concrete action that will make human rights a lived reality for all in Saint Lucia. “Together, we can build a society, where justice, equality and inclusion are not just aspirations but everyday realities”, she stated.
A key objective of the workshop was to reactivate and strengthen the capacity of Saint Lucia’s National Coordinating Committee for Human Rights, which was established by the Cabinet of Ministers in 2019. The Ministry of External Affairs serves as the Chair and Secretariat of the Committee, which comprises representatives from various government ministries. The committee is responsible for analyzing the human rights situation at the national level and collaborates to report on recommendations aligned with Saint Lucai’s national priorities. The active
functioning of the National Coordinating Committee for Human Rights is crucial for promoting and protecting human rights.
Reflecting on the utility of the workshop, Ms. Bynta Ernest, the representative from the Department of Gender Affairs on the National Human Rights Committee noted that the session was essential to the Committee’s revitalization and to demonstrating its importance in advancing human rights in Saint Lucia. “The practical sessions towards reporting on the recommendations from the last Universal periodic Review (UPR) were also very useful to kick-start the process towards meeting our October 2025 UPR reporting deadline,” she added.
In fulfillment of Saint Lucia’s human rights related reporting obligations and deadlines, workshop participants prepared a draft plan of action to devise next steps to advance Saint Lucia’s human rights agenda.
The workshop was held at the Harbor Club Hotel, from March 5-6, 2025. Participants included representatives from departments of External Affairs, Health, Education, Labor, Justice, Human Services, Gender Affairs, Immigration, Equity, Economic Development, the National Statistical Office, the Parliamentary Commissioner’s Office, the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force, the Attorney General’s Office, and the National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities.
Photo Captions:
1st insert: Janelle Modeste-Stephen, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs
2nd insert: Bynta Ernest, Gender Affairs
Kingston, Jamaica, March 10, 2025 – The Government has significantly increased investments in healthcare and should another crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic hit the island, the country will be better equipped to deal with it, according to Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness.
Speaking at the unveiling of a monument in honour of healthcare workers who died while tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, today (March 10), at the National Chest Hospital in St. Andrew, the Prime Minister said out of a commitment to strengthen the healthcare system and to strengthen the healthcare workforce, the Government instituted the Dr. Barry Wint Memorial Scholarship in 2024.
“We are investing $2.5 billion to support 607 students pursuing studies in medical technology, nursing, biomedical engineering, and other critical health-related fields,” he said, adding that the fund is ensuring the building of a robust pipeline of professionals “dedicated to service in the health sector.
“This is a solid commitment of how the Government is dealing with building resilience in the system, supporting our professionals, and at the same time ensuring that we can deliver healthcare with care,” the Prime Minister said.
He noted that while July has been earmarked to recognise the “selfless contribution of those who carried us through the crisis, more needs to be done”.
“Our appreciation cannot be confined to a single month or a single event. It must be reflected in how we value and support our healthcare professionals every single day. To the families of the fallen, I know that no words can fill the space left, especially for your loved ones,” Dr.
Holness said.
The Prime Minister underscored that the legacies of the healthcare workers live on in the patients they treated, the lives they touched, and now in the monument that has been erected.
“Let us commit to a Jamaica where those who dedicate their lives to caring for others are themselves cared for. Let us also commit to upholding the values these healthcare workers have embodied – care, compassion, resilience and unity. In their action and sacrifice, they made a choice,” the Prime Minister said.
March 10 marks the fifth anniversary since the first case of COVID-19 was identified in the country, and the fourth year since the start of the recovery with the administration of vaccines.
Contact: Garfield L. Angus
Release: JIS
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