State to pump $2.5 billion into training of more health professionals
Published:Wednesday | May 8, 2024 | 12:10 AM
Plans by the Government to build out and expand hospital facilities across the country are to be accompanied by a $500 million per annum scholarship to train more health professionals for the jobs that will become available at the end of the exercise.
Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton announced in Parliament on Tuesday the Barry Wint Memorial and Development Fund which will be financed by the Government in the sum of $2.5 billion over a five-year period.
The scholarships will be open to Jamaicans pursuing studies in nursing, medicine, public health, medical technology, epidemiology, health records management, hospital and healthcare management, information systems for health, pharmacy, dentistry and health economics.
“We can’t build hospitals and have nobody to put in them and that is likely to happen. It happens in other jurisdictions,” Tufton said.
“We will also be exploring overseas clinical rotations and remote faculty for expanded training in these areas,” he added.
At the same time, the health and wellness minister said the administration was exploring the possibility of flexi-contract arrangements.
“We take the view that we have experience as a country in Jamaicans working part-time in the developed market and part-time in Jamaica. Why we can’t do it for a nurse?” he questioned.
“If we could establish a flexi contract where a nurse could work five months in the UK (United Kingdom) at a hospital and seven months in Jamaica, the Government should be prepared to give them a seven-month contract period so that they enjoy the best of both worlds,” he reasoned.
The scholarship will be open to graduate and postgraduate students and persons currently studying in the designated health areas can also apply.
Information about the scholarship will be made available in the media and on the ministry’s website by July 2024.
The health and well minister also told his parliamentary colleagues that Cabinet has approved a new primary healthcare model. He said this model would see some 370 more doctors being hired in the primary healthcare system.
NEW MODEL
According to Tufton, the new model would facilitate more interventions for healthier lifestyle and disease prevention and more treatment services at the newly classified health centres.
“We will add more doctors, nurses and other categories of healthcare professionals as outlined in our new primary healthcare model. We will begin the process of rolling out three new categories of health centres; community, district/parish, and comprehensive/parish,” he said.
This reclassification, said Tufton, will mean more services at each level to include areas like health promotion and education, screening, prevention and treatment, special clinics for adolescent, elderly, men and women’s health, among other areas.
The Government is also taking steps to restore community health centres to a look, feel and utility that attracts community participation and support.
“In support of this, we will be embarking on a $1.0 billion programme over the next 18 months to enhance the look, feel and utility of selected health centres across the country as part of the mindset or transformation we are seeking in every Jamaican citizen,” he said.
Dubbed ‘Operation Refresh’, Tufton said the Government will standardise the look and feel of the public health facilities, through signage and colour schemes as well as improving areas of wait and staff quarters and where necessary adding sustainable features like solar panels for energy efficiency, air conditioning and improved sanitary conveniences for more comfortable wait.
He said the second component of Operation Refresh will be driven by community health aides who, with a redefined job description, will be activated to interface more within communities and homes.