The Turks and Caicos Islands welcomes Dr. Ramon Figueroa, Director of the Policy Analysis and Planning Unit, Ministry of Health, Belize and previous Health Systems and Services Advisor, PAHO/WHO, Barbados. Dr. Figueroa who holds a degree in Medicine and Master of Public Health is visiting the TCI 4th – 8th May, 2015 to assess the TCI Health Sector and to facilitate a National Health Sector Strategic Planning workshop with Ministry of Health, Agriculture and Human Services leadership, Governments Departments and Health Sector stakeholders, 5th and 6th of May.
The National Health Sector Strategic Plan will build upon the five pillars established in the 2006 Health Care Renewal Strategy, which are to:
Improve the local delivery of secondary and tertiary care services by construction of two hospitals;
Upgrade the Primary Health Care system;
Develop a Healthy Lifestyles Initiative;
Establish a National Health Insurance Plan (NHIP) as a health financing mechanism; and
Enact health sector regulatory mechanisms including the formation of a Health Regulatory Authority (HRA), which would govern and monitor many aspects of the healthcare delivery process.
The objectives of this consultation are to do the following:
Review and validate the strategic direction of the TCI health sector;
Discuss and analyse the health system structure so as to ensure it meets the defined goals of the TCI health sector;
Review and validate the vision, mission and core values of the TCI health sector;
Review proposed strategic objectives and develop medium term objectives (outcomes), define strategies to achieve these outcomes, and define indicators to monitor and evaluate achievements; and
Ensure the TCI Health Sector Strategic Plan is aligned and poised to achieve Universal Health Coverage overtime.
“The overarching goal is to lay the foundation for the development of a National Health Sector Strategic Plan in partnership with all key stakeholders that will guide the achievement of our vision of a healthier and empowered people at every stage of development in communities conducive to healthy living” stated Wesley Clerveaux, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health and Human Services. “We encourage all persons in related fields to join us in welcoming Dr Ramon Figueroa.”
