by Linda Straker
- Anticipated to become reality in November 2025, NHI was expected to revolutionise healthcare
- Contract was signed in 2019 with New National Party (NNP) Keith Mitchell administration
- Cabinet will reappoint homegrown committee with a consultant to analyse best options
The Government of Grenada has terminated its agreement with a US company that was contracted to develop the framework for implementing the National Health Insurance (NHI) plan aimed at strengthening and improving the country’s healthcare system and services.
JIPA Network — Joint Independent Provider Association — is an association of healthcare providers throughout Latin America, the Caribbean and the United States. Based in the USA, the company serves as an association of healthcare entities working together to make high-quality healthcare affordable and accessible. It began working with the Government of Grenada in 2019 to make National Health Insurance a reality for the country.
When the governing administration changed in June 2022, the Dickon Mitchell administration continued working with the company. However, the agreement was terminated due to Government’s dissatisfaction with achievements made after 5 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,” Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said in his first interview for 2025.
He did not say when the decision was taken to terminate the contract originally signed in 2019 with the New National Party (NNP) Keith Mitchell administration however, the prime minister said that his administration was unhappy with the situation.
He said that 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, homegrown 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 simplified NHI and build-up over the years, is the better approach rather than an overly complicated system from the get-go.”
“Grenada is only still 110,000 people, so the same way in which our NIS [National Insurance Scheme] 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.
Anticipated to become a reality in November 2025, the NHI was expected to revolutionise healthcare in Grenada, guaranteeing universal coverage, comprehensive care and accessibility as well as quality medical care to citizens and other people seeking healthcare.
