ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada – Grenada's government has terminated its agreement with a company in the United States that was contracted to develop the framework for the island’s implementation of a National Health Insurance plan aimed at strengthening and improving the healthcare system and services.
Prime Minister, Dickon MitchellJIPA Network is an association of health care providers throughout Latin America, the Caribbean and the United States
Based in the United States the company serves as an association of health care entities working together to make high-quality health care affordable and accessible. It began working with the Government of Grenada in 2019 to make National Health Insurance a reality for the island.
Following the election in June 2022, the Dickon Mitchell administration continued working with the company.
However, the agreement was terminated due to the Government not satisfied with achievement after five years.
“We continued to retain JIPA but internally after reviewing the outcome and the performance over the last several months, the cabinet took a decision to terminate the contract and to relook the approach,” Mitchell said in his first interview for 2025.
He did not say when the decision was made to terminate the contract which was originally signed in 2019 with the government of then Prime Minister Keith Mitchell said the was not happy with the situation.
He said the cabinet agreed that a new approach will be adopted to make the implementation of National Health Insurance in Grenada a reality.
“What we have decided to do is to reappoint a committee, home grown but with a consultant that will allow us to analyse what are the best options for us to be able to get us to a point where we can actually launch an NHI,” said the Prime Minister.
“We are absolutely committed to NHI because we realise that is part and parcel of how we will ensure sustainability to the new healthcare system, it is just not the hospital but we recognise that you have to creep before you walk and therefore starting a more simplify NHI and build up over the years is the better approach rather than a overly complicated system from the get go.”
“Grenada is only still 110,000 people, so the same way in which our NIS started small and has grown, we think we need to get to that point where the NHI can actually start. We believe this is a more straightforward and more effective approach,” he added.
Expected to become a reality in November 2025, the NHI was expected to revolutionize healthcare in Grenada.
The NHI guarantees will provide universal coverage, comprehensive care and accessibility as well as quality medical care to citizens and other people seeking healthcare.
