Caribbean L 12 ife, May 17–23, 2019 BQ
CARIBBEAN ROUNDUP
He said the lack of insurance means
that too many people, including the poor
and vulnerable, are denied access to timely
medical care, due to long waits and
inadequate service and
equipment.
He noted that in
2016, at least 32 percent
of Jamaicans reported
that they did not access
health care when needed due to financial
reasons.
Dr. Tufton said World Bank data
revealed that the average Jamaican with
a non-communicable disease (NCD) allocates
a third of his or her monthly household
income to health care.
He said that the NHIP Green Paper
which he had earlier tabled in Parliament
forms an important part of government’s
response to the situation.
The minister said the Green Paper will
lead to a final proposal aimed at providing
appropriate levels of access, coverage
and financial protections to the population.
Dr. Tufton said it was a promise “we
made when we campaigned for office in
2016 and a necessary addition to public
health financing.”
St. Lucia
The Canada-based World Association
for Christian Communication (WACC)
has appointed veteran St.
Lucian-born communication
and media specialist,
Embert Charles, as its
global president for the
next four years.
The WACC is an international
non-government organization registered
as a charity in Canada and
the United Kingdom.
WACC has members in 120 countries
that are organized into eight regional
associations, namely Africa, Asia, Caribbean,
Europe, Latin America, North
America and the Pacific.
Charles has over 35 years active membership
in WACC at both regional and
global levels during which he served in
various capacities as president of WACC
Caribe (2011-14) and as a member of
WACC’s international board of directors.
Trinidad
For the first time in five years, Trinidad
and Tobago–owned
Caribbean Airlines Limited
(CAL) has reported a
TT$42 million profit for
2018.
In a statement CAL said the company
released a summary of its unaudited
statements, announcing a TT$111 million
operating profit.
The breakdown shows that while the
airline recorded $158 million in earnings
before interest and tax on international
routes, the company’s net income from
international flights and other operations
was $109 million, while the domestic airbridge
operations made a net loss of $67
million.
Total revenues increased by 11 percent
to $292 million.
Fuel costs were the company’s biggest
expense, costing TT$597 million in 2018
as against $471 million in 2017, which the
company attributed to the higher price of
oil on the international market.
The last time CAL presented annual
financial statements to the public was in
2015, for its 2014 performance, when it
recorded a US$60 million loss.
— Compiled by Azad Ali
Continued from Page 4
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