Entertainment sector to get insurance plan
The Government is set to commence implementing the Jamaica Entertainment and Creative Practitioners health and personal accident and life insurance programmes next fiscal year.
Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange made the disclosure during a meeting of the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives last Wednesday.
“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, 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 the ministry 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.