Caribbean News

NIB and NHIB now joined

Published

2 weeks ago

April 16, 2024

Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer

Executives of the National Insurance Board (NIB) and the National Health Insurance Board (NHIB) have signed the Memorandum of Understanding officially joining the two worker-funded agencies. It’s the culmination of years of work and they’re certain it will create ease of access and improve overall contributor experience.

The linking of the two national plans has been in the works for some time, and went through changes, from the proposed creation of a joint national revenue authority to oversee collections back in 2014; to the finally approved National Insurance Shared Services (NISS) Bill almost a decade later in November 2023.

What the signing of the MOU means now, is that a three-part process to unite the two agencies has begun. The first layer of the process is a new registration portal. After that, the compliance agents will begin working simultaneously, collecting overdue contributions for both agencies at once, and finally, the NIB and NHIB are slated to move in together under the same roof, promoting ease of access for customers.

The government says that the merger was necessary because there were so many overlapping services between the NIB and NHIB that could be streamlined and made more efficient. Despite the ‘streamlining’ there have been assurances that there won’t be any layoffs at either agency, which was a concern for some residents.

Another concern shared by some was the potential mixup of contributions or the crossover of cash that is to be separate. While tabling the NISS bill in 2023 Arlington Musgrove, Minister of Immigration and Border Services, said there would be no such thing, maintaining contributions would be ‘strictly separate.’

That 2023 NISS bill laid the legal groundwork for Wednesday’s merger. But what exactly does that mean for taxpayers who contribute to both agencies and will it actually make life easier?

Here’s what’s confirmed to change according to the government:

Customers will be able to register online for both organizations at the same time with a new NISS Portal.
The same is true for those registering in any NHIB or NIB office, once you’re registered for one service you are automatically signed into the other.
Registration now comes with a single unique registration number and card for both organizations.
The NHIB Contribution Due Date will be harmonized with NIB for payment by the last working day of each month as opposed to the 14th.
Employers and self-employed persons will be able to pay their contributions at any office in Provo, Grand Turk, North / South Caicos for both services.
All Inspectors from either agency will be legally empowered to perform all the duties of an Inspector for both organizations simultaneously
Both compliance departments will operate as one unit from their current locations and will coordinate compliance activities. TCIG says this will lead to ‘improved productivity, increased efficiency, reduced duplication /waste, increased compliance collection.’

An additional feature that is coming to the agencies is an online system in which customers will be able to access their contribution payment records for both organizations.

Sitting in on the ceremony held on April 10 was Washington Misick, TCI Premier and Minister of Finance alongside executives from both agencies.

Caribbean News

STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATIONS EXPECTED TO ASSIST GOV’T PLANNING FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

Published

1 hour ago

April 30, 2024

Shanieka

KINGSTON, April 29 (JIS):

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the outcome of discussions arising from the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) will assist in guiding the Government’s planning for climate change.

This, he points out, is important for climate mitigation as well as building Jamaica’s resilience.

“We look forward to the discussions that will, no doubt, take place. We look forward to the basis of planning for the Government to streamline its investments to ensure you have the tools that you need to better advise us, that the WRA (Water Resources Authority) has the tools to digitise its monitoring network, and that all of the agencies that touch our planning mechanisms have the tools. But we need to know what we are facing, and we’re guided by your expertise,” Minister Samuda said.

He was addressing the opening ceremony for the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in New Kingston on Monday (April 29).

Senator Samuda said given the fact that the climate has changed and continues to do so, investments in and collaborations on building Jamaica’s predictive and scientific capacity must be prioritised.

“Ultimately, we need to be able to assess our current climatic realities if we are to better plan, if we’re to insist and ensure that our infrastructure meets the needs that we need it to. I’m very happy that this event is happening… because this is a critical issue.

“Jamaica, last year, faced its worst and most severe drought… and this year, we’re already seeing the impacts of not quite as severe a drought but, certainly, a drought with severe impacts, especially in the western part of the country,” he said.

Principal Director, Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson, explained that the forum aims to, among other things, establish a collaboration platform for climate services providers and users to understand risks and opportunities of past, present and future climate developments, as well as improve inter-agency coordination of policies, plans and programmes.

Among the other presenters were Ambassador, European Union to Jamaica, Her Excellency Marianne Van Steen; Chief Scientist/Climatologist, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, Adrian Trotman; and Head, Regional Climate Prediction Services, World Meteorological Organization, Wilfran Moufouma-Okia.

The Meteorological Service of Jamaica hosted the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) in partnership with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology and the World Meteorological Organization.

The National Stakeholder Consultation is a governance mechanism that guides how different sectors or actors work together to create products that contribute to adaptation and resilience-building. It seeks to create a road map for the development and implementation of climate services to inform decision-making.

NCF-1 aims to bridge the gap between climate providers and users. It increases the use of science-based information in decision-making and operations with the aim of generating and delivering co-produced and co-designed products and services.

CONTACT: CHRIS PATTERSON

Caribbean News

Haiti- ECHO humanitarian efforts

Published

1 day ago

April 29, 2024

Shanieka

Rashaed Esson

Staff writer

#Haiti#Crisis#HumanitarianEfforts#ECHO, April 23rd, 2024 – Due to the worsening Humanitarian crisis in Haiti with an increase in death toll and injured people, The European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), launched an emergency airlift of 5 flights carrying essentials which include up to 62 tons of medicine as well as emergency shelter equipment, and water and sanitation items. These were brought to Cap Haitien according to a report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), on April 19, as the international Airport in Port au prince remains closed following the gang attack last month.

Caribbean News

Dominica repeals laws criminalizing gay sex

Published

1 day ago

April 29, 2024

Shanieka

Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

#Dominica#LGBTQIA, April 24, 2034- Dominica has decided to remove colonial era laws that criminalized gay sex, joining Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, St. Kitts and Nevis and Antigua and Barbuda.

This comes almost five years after a man of the queer community, whose identity was withheld for his safety, spoke out against Dominica’s laws in 2019, saying they violated his rights.