Cabinet has approved a draft National Strategic Plan for Health covering 2026–2031, setting out a framework to coordinate health services in Antigua and Barbuda and support the development of national health insurance.

Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant said the plan contains 11 strategic directions intended to strengthen health care delivery, improve access to quality services and promote better health across the country.

Speaking at Friday’s post-Cabinet briefing, Merchant said the strategy was developed following an assessment of essential public health functions conducted by the Pan American Health Organization in 2023.

That assessment involved consultations with multiple stakeholders and helped identify priorities for strengthening Antigua and Barbuda’s public health system, he said.

Asked what the plan would mean in practical terms for residents, including what it would offer beyond existing services, Merchant pointed to improved coordination and its connection to national health insurance.

“It provides a more coordinated program of health service to Antiguans and Barbudans and it also provides a stepping stone towards the national health insurance policy,” he said.

Merchant said those efforts would come together under a national policy to guide the delivery of health services.

However, he did not outline the individual strategic directions or identify specific new treatments, facilities or services that would become available under the plan.

The briefing also provided no implementation costs, funding arrangements or timetable for introducing national health insurance.

Merchant said additional details about the strategy would be included in the written Cabinet notes.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Antigua and Barbuda approves five-year health strategy.