Tradition and Leisure Minister Olivia “Babsy” Grange has introduced that the medical health insurance scheme she had proposed for members of the music and leisure fraternity is nearing fruition.

In the course of the media launch of Insurgent Salute, on the ROK Lodge in Downtown Kingston, Grange, in her replace, defined that an actuarial consulting agency has now been engaged to help within the tender course of for the Authorities medical health insurance scheme.

In accordance with Grange, the insurance coverage scheme for the leisure and cultural practitioners will probably be akin to the Ministry of Tradition, Gender, Leisure and Sport’s Jamaica Athletes Insurance Plan, which gives the nation’s athletes with insurance coverage that covers areas akin to life, well being, maternity, psychological well being and dental, and which she stated: “has served our athletes properly”.

“I’ve been working over the past yr or so to supply an identical insurance coverage for leisure and cultural practitioners.   And I’m happy to announce tonight that the procurement unity of my ministry went to marketplace for an actuary: that’s, the individuals with the technical abilities, to help with the tender course of for the leisure insurance coverage,” she defined.

“And, now we have employed Eckler Consultants to be the corporate that can help us to scope out and to organize the main points for insurance coverage protection for entertainers and cultural practitioners and people within the leisure trade,” she added.

The Minister, who’s a former supervisor for Shabba Ranks, Bounty Killer, Patra and Leroy Sibbles, stated that having an insurance coverage scheme of this nature in place was important, as it might ease the burden on individuals who’ve made vital contributions to the event of Model Jamaica, if and after they change into unwell.

“Wherever you go on the earth they discuss our music, and I felt it was essential that as a part of our Jamaica 60 legacy, that we make sure that we introduce insurance coverage protection for our artistes, our writers, our cultural practitioners, to make sure that they profit from what they’ve supplied to this nation in constructing the model,” she stated.

The previous Specs/Shang government additionally identified that practitioners who’ve reached a complicated age are those who particularly want the insurance coverage help.

“Day-after-day, we lose one in every of our veterans. They both get very unwell or they go, there may be all the time a difficulty about coping with the funeral; there may be all the time a difficulty about coping with the medical health insurance, the well being protection, and I believed it was about time, for this sector which has contributed to constructing model Jamaica,” she stated.

The Minister, in expressing her help for Insurgent Salute, stated praised its organizers for its thrust to all the time showcase Jamaica’s iconic classic artistes, lots of whom haven’t graced Jamaica’s levels for many years.

“We’ve some nice veterans and Insurgent Salute showcases not simply those that have paved the best way to construct the music, but in addition the brand new rising artistes who’re offering acutely aware music.  And that’s what is so nice about Insurgent Salute,” she stated.

“We’ve a music that has penetrated all corners of the world.  We’ve given the world a brand new faith in Rastafari, and now we have given the world a musical icon in Bob Marley and plenty of different musical icons,” she stated. 

Minister Grange had first introduced the plans by her Ministry to determine an insurance coverage fund for performing artists and musicians again in December 2019, whereas throughout her handle on the media launch for Reggae Month 2020  in Kingston.

On the time Grange had stated that it was being proposed that provisions below the power, being focused for introduction in 2020, cowl life, well being, maternity and pension.

She had additionally stated that the initiative could be undertaken in partnership with a number of key stakeholders, amongst them, the Jamaica Federation of Musicians (JFM), Jamaica Reggae Trade Affiliation (JaRIA), and Jamaica Affiliation of Classic Artistes and Associates (JAVAA).

She had additionally stated that she was in dialogue with Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, concerning exploring the opportunity of advantages below the proposed Tourism Employees Pension Scheme additionally accruing to entertainers and musicians.