In February 2004, the Jamaican Government piloted a bill to amend the 1934 Nursing Homes Registration Act, aimed at improving the quality of service provided to residents and working conditions of staff at privately owned Nursing Homeowners.

The Bill introduced requirements for the biennial registration of homes with the Ministry of Health. The registration process was also adjusted to rely on a compulsory inspection and certificate of inspection in order to qualify for registration or renewal of registration. However, according to the regulatory unit at the Ministry of Health, the rate of registration of private care homes is quite low, with less than 20% of all private care homes estimated to be registered (1^st Caregivers Symposium, 2019).

Penalty fees for non-registration were increased from $100 to $30,000JD (approx. $240.00 USD) and registration fees from 50 cents to $5,000JD for homes with a bed capacity of 25 beds or fewer. Registration fees for homes with a bed capacity of 25 beds or more was set at $10,000JD (approx. $80.00 USD) (JIS, 2004).

 References:

1^st Caregivers Symposium (11-12 June 2019). “Supporting your own mental health as a caregiver”. Hosted by the University of Technology, Jamaica.

Jamaica Information Service (JIS). (2004). Nursing Homes Improve Service as Stricter Guidelines. Available from: https://jis.gov.jm/nursing-homes-improve-service-as-stricter-guidelines/