The Government will commence implementing the Jamaica entertainment and creative practitioners health and personal accident and life insurance programmes in fiscal year 2024/25.

Minister of Culture and Entertainment Olivia Grange made the disclosure during Wednesday, March 6’s meeting of the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives, whose members are reviewing the 2024/25 Estimates of Expenditure.

“This is major. There’s a great need for this insurance plan for entertainment, culture and creative industries practitioners. I know the need. I’ve received the many calls for assistance and I want to ensure that we implement a solution. We have been losing a number of our pioneers in the music industry, and usually there’s an issue — how do we cover the cost of their funerals? So, we have addressed that in introducing this insurance plan,” she said.

In preparation for the programme’s launch, Minister Grange urged practitioners to sign up on the e-registry on the ministry’s website. She emphasised that registration will be a requirement to access the benefits.

Grange pointed out that the programme is similar to the Jamaica Athletes’ Insurance Plan, which provides for national sports representatives.

“It covers a wide range; it even includes maternity for our athletes. It covers diagnostic procedures, hospitalisation, it also covers artificial limbs, physiotherapy, speech therapy, radiotherapy and chemotherapy… . It’s a long list of the areas that are covered. So we have now covered our athletes, and we will now cover our creative people,” she detailed.