eWorldBank 1818 H Street, N.W. 1 Washington, D.C. 20433, U.S.A. • Telephone: (202) 393-6360 BANK NEWS RELEASE NO. 76/77 June 10, 1976 JAMAICA RECEIVES $6.8 MILLION LOAN FOR SECOND POPULATION PROJECT The World Bank today announced the approval of a $6.8 mfllion loan for a second population project in Jamaica. The project is designed to support the Gove,nment's Maternal, Child Health, Family Planning and Nutrition Programs. The principal objectives of the project, which has a total cost of $13.2 million, are to contribute to fertility reduction through further development of health and family planning services for mothers and children, to reduce malnutrition among children from birth to four years of age and among pregnant and lactating women, and to improve the capability of the Ministry of Health and Environmental Control (MOHEC) for planning and eval_uation and the quality and coverage of Its maternal and child health,. family plannin . . and nutrlt1on program. • The project aims to reduce the fe rt i 1 i ty rate of women of ch f 1d- bea ring age from 182 births per thousand women in 1974 to 150 per thousand women in 1980, alleviate serious protein-calorie malnutrition by about 50% among children from birth to four years and eliminate anemla among pregnant and lactating women by 1980. The project will help finance the construction and equipping of 57 health centers; technical assistance, fellOt1shfps, equipment, vehicles for training community health aides, midwives, medical officers, nurses and other staff of the Maternal, Child Health/Family Planning Nutrition Program; equipment for expanding post-birth famrly planning services to 17 remaining hospitals and equipment, technical assistance and vehicles for a mass communication/education program. The project also lncludes technical assistance for a feasibility study for local production and processing of supplementary food, including training fel lowshlps; for a health facility maintenance system and a building utilization study; for demographic studies and to support the establishment of a Planning and £valuation Unit in the Ministry of Health and Environmental Control. It is expected that the project will make a significant contrfbutfon towards achieving the target reductions in the gross reproduction rate and in the general fertility rate. The project will also contribute stgnfflcantly to improvements within MOHEC, relative to planning, evaluation and research. The loan made to Jamaica fs for a term of 25 years, including • a grace period of five years, wfth Interest at 8.85% per annum • NOTE: Money figures are expressed in US doliar equivaients. Form No. 1121 (9-75) PROJECT: T E CHNI CAL Second Population DAT A • COUNTRY: Jamaica TOTAL COST: $1 3 . 2 mi 1 l i on BANK FINANCING: $6.8 mi 11 ion, payable in 25 years, including 5 years of grace at 8.85% per annum OTHER FINANCING: Of the estimated foreign exchanqe costs of $~.3 million, CIDA and USAID wi 11 finance $389,000 and S77,ono, respectively. The remaining foreign exchange costs will be financed by the Bank. The estimated local capital costs will be financed by the Government, except for a USAID contribution of $19,000 equivalent for local cost exoenditures for technical assistance. IMPLEMENTING ORGANIZATION: Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health and Environmental Control, Jamaica Civil Service Assoctatfon Building, Caledonia PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Ave.-Crossroads, Kingston 5, Jamaica. Cable: MINHEALTH The project wi 11 support the ~overnment's Maternal Child Health/Family Planning and Nutrition Proqrams. The loan wil help finance the construction and equipping of 57 health centers; tech~icdl assistance, fellowships, equipment, vehicles for training community health aides, mf·.1wives, medical officers, nurses and other staff in the Maternal, Child Health/Family Planning and 1. t~utrition Program; equipment for expanding p~ partum family planning services to 17 remaining hospitals; equipment, technical assistance and vehicles for a mass conmunication/education program, technical assistance for a feasibility study for local production and processing of supplementary food, including training fellows~ips; technical assistance for a health facility maintenance system nnd a buildin0 utilizntion study; technical assistance, fellowships and equipment for dernogranhic and research studies; technical assistance and fellowships to support the establish~ent of a Planninq and Evaluation Unit (PEU) in the Ministry of Health and Environmental Control U-10HF.C); and other innovative activities in the field of MCH/FP/Nutrition. PROCUREMENT: Contracts for equipment, furniture and vehicles esti~ated to cost less than $50,000 equivalent, and all contracts for civil works will be awarded on basis of procurement in accordance with local procedures. Foreign firms will not be excluded from bidding. Contracts for the procurement of equipment, furniture and vehicles estimated to cost more than ~50,000 equivalent will be awarded on the basis of international competitive bidding. Local manufacturers 1,,,,ill be awarded the usuai margin of domestic preference. CONSULTANTS: Individual consultants will he retained to assist the Government on training, the mass communications and education program, the planning and evaluation unit, the demographic and research studies, the • health facility maintenance system and the building utilization study. ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: 1981 -0-