Page 41 - GHES-2-3

Global Health Economics and
Sustainability

PERSPECTIVE ARTICLE
Sustainability of specialized healthcare in

economies like Jamaica: Overcoming historical
constraints

Amza Ali *
1,2
1 Department of Medicine, Kingston Public Hospital, Kingston, Jamaica
2 Department of Medicine, University Hospital of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica

Abstract
Small island economies designated as upper-middle-income economies find
themselves in the somewhat awkward position of not being viewed as in desperate
need of financial support for their healthcare and thus receive severely limited
external aid for healthcare. Consequently, countries like Jamaica have had to be self-
reliant in funding their health-care systems. This challenge has prompted an early
and sustained focus on primary healthcare, recognizing that prevention is better
than cure. However, with the success of this strategy and the change in the disease
This article will be published as part profile from infectious concerns to chronic non-communicable diseases associated
of a two-article series. The second
article can be found at with aging, the cost of healthcare has markedly increased. Rapid technological
https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.2717 advances in the diagnosis and treatment of specialized conditions have further
Academic editor: escalated health-care costs. Funding these increasing health-care costs sustainably
Mihajlo Jakovljevic M.D. Ph.D. MAE is a significant challenge for Jamaica and similarly developed smaller economies,
*Corresponding author: especially given the numerous other demands for scarce funds. One potential
Amza Ali solution to this chronic problem is to develop sustainable funding sources within
(amzaalimd@gmail.com) the country, such as through local entrepreneurs and philanthropy. Partnerships
Citation: Ali, A. (2024). for health can be forged, where philanthropic investments play a critical role. This
Sustainability of specialized article is the first in a series of two. It explores a relationship between the historical
healthcare in economies like
Jamaica: Overcoming historical context and the current status of healthcare in Jamaica, which is evaluated in further
constraints. Global Health Econ detail, identifying the existing deficiencies that stem from chronic underinvestment.
Sustain, 2(3):2709. The second article will discuss the principles of giving, with a focus on philanthropy.
https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.2709 Future endeavors will include a formal qualitative study of Jamaica’s wealthiest
Received: January 11, 2024 entrepreneurs to assess their interest in philanthropy and their potential to invest
Accepted: April 23, 2024 philanthropically in specialized healthcare in Jamaica.
Published Online: August 14, 2024
Keywords: Healthcare; Small island economies; Middle-income economies; Philanthropy;
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s).
This is an Open-Access article Social capital; Inequality; Social entrepreneurialism; Innovation; Policy
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is 1. Introduction
properly cited.
“Of all forms of inequality, inequality in healthcare is the most inhumane.”
Publisher’s Note: AccScience
Publishing remains neutral with - Martin Luther King
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional Healthcare is a fundamental human right. However, providing it to those in need
affiliations. remains a significant challenge in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs), which

Volume 2 Issue 3 (2024) 1 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.2709