KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica has renewed its call for countries to innovate and collaborate to solve the human resources for health (HRH) challenge facing, especially, small island developing states (SIDS), while taking a series of actions to safeguard the needed numbers and competencies of health workers locally.
“We believe that more innovative strategies are required. We must adopt creative solutions, and we urge the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) to create the platform for innovations to be shared, developed and tested so that we can ensure an adequate workforce,” said Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie, CD.
The CMO was making an intervention on behalf of the minister of health & wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton, MP, who is leading the Jamaica delegation, of which she is a member, to Washington DC for the 61st PAHO directing council from September 30 to October 4.
The statement came in response to the final report on the Plan of Action of Human Resources for Universal Access to Health and Universal Health Coverage 2018-2023, presented to the Council.
Included in Jamaica’s own efforts is the establishment of an international recruiting unit to engage health care professionals.
“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,” minister Tufton noted. “This is just one consideration; but it highlights the need for creative solutions to ensure the adequacy and competency of our HRH and our ability to meet the health needs of our populace and respond to public health threats.”
The island is also developing a five-year Policy and Action Plan for HRH, through a technical cooperation agreement with PAHO and which is projected to be finalised this financial year.
In addition, there are, among other things, ongoing efforts to rehabilitate and renovate health facilities, ensuring that occupational health and safety standards are maintained and that health care workers can deliver services in a comfortable and aesthetically pleasing environment.
This is even as the government of Jamaica has undertaken a comprehensive compensation restructuring, which Dr Tufton said “has seen significant changes to the remuneration packages of several cadres of health professionals”; and the creation of some 2,000 permanent posts for doctors within the public health system, with more to come with the continued reform of primary care.
“We also continue to explore bilateral agreements with Cuba, Nigeria, India and the Philippines to increase our workforce and increase capacity for training through rotation in specialist areas and engagement of nurse educators,” the CMO told the directing council.
“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,” the minister said.
There has also been the introduction of the Dr Barrington Wint Memorial Scholarship, named in recognition of a former chief medical officer. The $2.5 billion scholarship provides J$500 million annually for up to five years to support studies in health-related fields. More than 600 Jamaicans were awarded scholarships in August.
The island is, too, at the early stages of developing a robust national HRH Information System, critical for HRH planning; and is progressing the population of the National Health Workforce Accounts to support HRH planning and forecasting.
“Jamaica remains committed to strengthening human resources for health and advancing our vision for a healthy people, healthy environment,” Dr Tufton said.
