Jamaica raises human resources for health issues at PAHO

The government officials of Jamaica raised a call for the region to take significant steps to solve the human resources for health issues. The matter was pointed out by the officials during a visit to Washington DC, USA, to attend the 61st Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) directing council.

The gathering was carried out for five days, from 30 September to 04 October. The island nation of Jamaica urged the Pan American Health Organisation to collaborate in order to take innovative measures and creative solutions to safeguard the adequate workforce.

The issue is highlighted by Jamaica on the basis of the constant challenges faced in the region. The focus was especially drawn on the small island developing states. The call was made by the Ministry of Health and Wellness of Jamaica, which asked nations to collaborate to take necessary actions in the way.

The Jamaican delegation to Washington DC was represented by Dr Jacquiline Bisasor McKenzie, the Chief Medical Officer, who shared his word while addressing the gathering. He took charge on behalf of Dr Christopher Tufton, the Minister of Health and Wellness for Jamaica.

Dr Jacquiline Bisasor McKenzie said, “We believe that more innovative strategies are required. We must adopt creative solutions, and we urge the Pan American Health Organisation to create the platform for innovations to be shared, developed and tested so that we can ensure an adequate workforce.”

The Chief Medical Officer, during his speech at the Pan American Health Organisation, took the support of the 2018-2023 final report on the Plan of Action of Human Resources for Universal Access to Health. He backed his argument with the data and highlighted the necessity to take the issue into focus.

Minister Dr Christopher Tufton also shared his words about the issue and said, “We need to contemplate other contractual modes of engagement such as flexi-contracts for healthcare workers where they have the option to work abroad for defined periods.”

Tufton added, “This is just one consideration, but it highlights the need for creative solutions to ensure the adequacy and competency of our human resources for health and our ability to meet the health needs of our populace and respond to public health threats.”

The nation of Jamaica is taking steps in the matter on its own level by developing a policy and action plan for human resources for health. The policy is structured for five years along with the Pan American Health Organisation under a technical cooperation agreement.

The policy is expected to be finalised and implemented at the ground level this financial year. The ministry also formed an international recruiting unit, which is dedicated to taking healthcare professionals on board.

The government of Jamaica is also working on the renovation and rehabilitation of health facilities in the nation with the intention to raise the health and safety standards. It is said that with improvement in the facilities, the health workers can also be able to operate comfortably and more productively.

As per the plan of the Ministry of Health and Wellness of Jamaica, around two thousand permanent posts for doctors will be created. The reforms under the public health system along with the remuneration packages for the health professionals will lead the betterment of the primary care.

CMO Dr Jacquiline Bisasor McKenzie said, “We also continue to explore bilateral agreements with nations like Nigeria, India and the Philippines to increase our workforce and increase capacity for training through rotation in specialist areas and engagement of nurse educators.”

Minister Tufton mentioned, “These collaborations are to look at increasing our workforce and to increase capacity for training through rotation in specialist areas and engagement of nurse educators. Jamaica remains committed to strengthening human resources for health and advancing our vision for healthy people and a healthy environment.”

Moving on the same path, the Jamaican government also took steps to provide scholarships to support students in health-related fields. The programme is called Dr Barrington Wint Memorial Scholarship, which is named after a former chief medical officer to give recognition to his contributions.

The Dr Barrington Wint Memorial Scholarship promises to provide five hundred million Jamaican dollars to students annually for up to five years. In the month of August, over six hundred candidates were named to get this scholarship for their studies.

It is also mentioned by the officials that Jamaica is still at the developing stage to get its own information system for human resources for health. However, it is necessary to process the National Health Workforce Accounts population to support planning and forecasting for human resources for health.