KINGSTON, Jamaica. Friday, February 25, 2022: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded grants totaling USD $600,000 to nine private sector health organizations to support administration of COVID-19 vaccines across the island. The grants are designed to support the Ministry of Health & Wellness’ Outsourcing of Vaccination Administration Plan.
The grants are part of a larger effort by the USAID-funded Local Health Systems Sustainability (LHSS) project, led by Abt Associates, to strengthen the capacity of Jamaica’s private health sector response to COVID-19 and reduce strain on the public sector. The grants will support private health sector capacity to deliver required services related to COVID-19 vaccines administration, including appointment and registration; counseling; post-vaccination observation; documentation and reporting; and waste management.
The LHSS Jamaica activity will work in partnership with the Ministry of Health & Wellness and private sector stakeholders to leverage existing public-private partnerships started in September 2021 to strengthen the country’s COVID-19 response. These grants will allow the Ministry and its private sector partners to help reach its goals of administering 75,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine through the private sector. To date, over 1.3 million doses have been administered covering 20% of the population.
Speaking at the launch on Friday, Health & Wellness Minister. Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton noted that “This is a necessary step towards building a stronger private-public relationship while strengthening the capacity of the private health sector to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as balance the strain on the public health system.”
USAID is committed to supporting the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) to address urgent needs and fill gaps in order to accelerate widespread, equitable access to and the delivery and up-take of safe effective COVID-19 vaccines.
“This partnership sets the stage for USAID to continue to work closely with the Government of Jamaica and key stakeholders in Jamaica including the private sector to scale up vaccine uptake among Jamaicans and strengthen the country’s pandemic response now and in the future.” said Jason Fraser USAID/Jamaica Country Representative
The private sector providers are Health Connect Jamaica, Fontana Pharmacy, Fairco Medical and Dermatology Center, Erudite Medical Center, HealthPlus Pharmacy Limited, Bethel Baptist Church, Windsor Wellness Center, Online Medics, Vein Centers of Jamaica.
abt Assoc.