Jamaica: Macro-Socio-Economic and Environmental Assessment of ...

Public provisioning in the area of primary and secondary care is of critical importance to
maintaining an optimal health status of the Jamaican population. The Jamaica Survey of Living
Conditions 2002 reported that of those persons seeking health care in all of Jamaica, some 52
percent utilized the public sector. Use of the public sector health facilities was high (73 percent)
among the poorest quintile, and significant (37 percent) among the wealthiest, as 63 percent of
the wealthiest quintile was reported to have used private sector facilities. Of all the persons who
sought health care and required hospitalization, almost all were hospitalized in public hospitals.
Females tended to utilize the public sector facilities more than their male counterparts. Shortage
of expendable income among the female population, who have a lower participation rate in the
labour force than their male counterpart and responsibilities for single headed households, may
be factors in minimizing their use of private facilities. A small proportion of the Jamaican
population (14 percent) possesses health insurance coverage, and in rural areas this proportion is
smaller, with an average of approximately 8 percent having coverage. Damage to the health
sector therefore could deprive a significant proportion of the Jamaican population, particularly
those among the poorest, of the health care that they require.
Table 2-8
Damage to Hospitals Arising from Hurricane Ivan by Regional Health Authority ($ million)
Regional Health
Authority
Damage to
Structures
Damage to
Equipment and
Supplies
Western 5.8 n/a
South East 37.8 14.1
Southern 50.0 12.8
North East 5.4 2.3
Total 108.9 29.1
Source: ECLAC, based on figures provided by the Ministry of Health
n/a : Not available
Indirect losses to the health sector amounted to $ 40.2 million which could be attributable to the
response of the health sector challenges brought on by the passing of Hurricane Ivan. Special
health education programmes had to be mounted in order to increase knowledge of water safety,
to control diarrheal diseases and to encourage proper waste disposal management. The rains
associated with Hurricane Ivan led to flooding and the formation of ponds both of which
facilitated the breeding of mosquitoes. The resulting deposits of debris along with stagnant
water in and around populated areas increased the potential for breeding Aedes Aegypti
mosquitoes and the population of rodents and flies. The need for increased disease surveillance
is imperative. Table 2-9 presents a summary of damage to the health sector.
21