The Ministry of Health has advised the public of longer wait times at hospitals due to the increasing number of patients requiring care at Accident and Emergency departments.
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MAJ president-elect Dr. Leslie Meade and Candice Thompson, executive member of the NAJ
By Kimone Witter
Dr. Leslie Meade, President elect of the Medical Association of Jamaica (MAJ), says the process to increase and retain the cadre of nurses and doctors in the public health system needs to accelerated.
Dr. Meade says measures are urgently needed to ensure adequate coverage of hospital departments to prevent burnout of workers.
The issue is being discussed in the context of the Ministry of Health again advising the public of longer wait times at hospitals due to the increasing number of patients requiring care at Accident and Emergency departments.
The hospitals have been dealing with overcrowding coupled with low nurse to patient ratio, which is posing a risk to the delivery of healthcare.
Speaking Friday on the Morning Agenda on Power 106, Dr. Meade said at present, the ratio of doctors to patients in the public health system is 0.7 per 1,000, while ideally close to three per 1,000 is required.
He recalled that former Director of PAHO, Dr. Carissa Etienne, had last year encouraged member states to expand their healthcare workforce to be able to respond to changing dynamics in health systems.
"For the system to work efficiently, we must have staffing at all levels. Similarly, for the doctors in the A&E department, we need to ensure that there are consultant accident and emergency physicians manning each emergency department, as well as having the other medical officers that can carry out the duty," he proposed.
In addition, Dr. Meade said hospitals do not have enough full-time staff, and therefore, need to ensure that sessional doctors can be employed to help carry out some of the necessary work within departments.
More nurses to come
The Nurses Association of Jamaica (NAJ) has said the Ministry of Health has been working to increase the cadre of nurses in the public health system.
Candice Thompson, executive member of the NAJ, said assistance has been sought from outside of Jamaica, as there is now a team in Cuba trying to recruit specialist nurses.
She said this should help reduce the shortfall even as nurses continue to leave Jamaica's healthcare system.
"Steadily, they're going. And if you had two before and one went now, it means you have one left. And if that one goes, it means you have none. So, it is always a constant, but we have been trying to see how we recruit and not just recruit, but also to ensure retention, because that is very, very critical."
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