The country will on Thursday hear how the Bruce Golding
administration intends the address the deepening crisis facing the country's
public health care system.
The sector has been placed in the spotlight in recent days with alarming reports of a shortage of critical supplies at public hospitals and health facilities.
Public sector doctors have also highlighted extremely difficult and frustrating conditions under which they are required to work and in some instances forced to improvise in order to save lives.
Health Minister Ruddy Spencer has called a press conference for 1 o'clock Thursday afternoon during which he is expected to outline special measures to prevent a further deepening of the crisis.
The press conference will take place following bipartisan talks.
Mr. Spencer is scheduled to meet with his Opposition counterpart Dr. Fenton Ferguson at 10.30.
Dr. Ferguson told RJR News that he intends to present a raft a proposals aimed at preventing a collapse of the public health sector.
"And I believe the meeting is timely especially against the background of what is happening in the sector at this time and we have some very strong views in relation to the policy direction of the government and we want to use this opportunity to put those views on the table," Dr. Ferguson said.
In the meantime, the Health Ministry is hoping that a shortage of blood collection bags will be alleviated Thursday.
The Ministry is expected to receive a shipment of 990 bags from Trinidad and Tobago.
Earlier this week news surfaced that the Blood Bank had run out of supplies of the bags and had to cut back on collections.
The supplies from Trinidad should fill the gap until an additional 9,000 blood bags arrive at the end of the month.
Dr. Ferguson says the situation has put the Health Ministry in an embarrassing position.
"He is now giving me a timeline of the 28th of November when the ship is nowhere close to Jamaica. When we have to go to Trinidad we believe in CARICOM but when Jamaica has to go to Trinidad to say we have to borrow some bags because we are out, do you think that looks good in terms of our own credibility and our own perception in the Caribbean?" Dr. Ferguson asked.
The Minister of Health Wednesday ordered a review of the contractual relationship between the Blood Bank and its suppliers.
Mr. Spencer says steps are to be taken to activate the inventory management system installed at the facility a year ago.
The Minister insisted that systems must be in place to ensure that timely reports are made to the relevant persons before supplies are exhausted.
The sector has been placed in the spotlight in recent days with alarming reports of a shortage of critical supplies at public hospitals and health facilities.
Public sector doctors have also highlighted extremely difficult and frustrating conditions under which they are required to work and in some instances forced to improvise in order to save lives.
Health Minister Ruddy Spencer has called a press conference for 1 o'clock Thursday afternoon during which he is expected to outline special measures to prevent a further deepening of the crisis.
The press conference will take place following bipartisan talks.
Mr. Spencer is scheduled to meet with his Opposition counterpart Dr. Fenton Ferguson at 10.30.
Dr. Ferguson told RJR News that he intends to present a raft a proposals aimed at preventing a collapse of the public health sector.
"And I believe the meeting is timely especially against the background of what is happening in the sector at this time and we have some very strong views in relation to the policy direction of the government and we want to use this opportunity to put those views on the table," Dr. Ferguson said.
In the meantime, the Health Ministry is hoping that a shortage of blood collection bags will be alleviated Thursday.
The Ministry is expected to receive a shipment of 990 bags from Trinidad and Tobago.
Earlier this week news surfaced that the Blood Bank had run out of supplies of the bags and had to cut back on collections.
The supplies from Trinidad should fill the gap until an additional 9,000 blood bags arrive at the end of the month.
Dr. Ferguson says the situation has put the Health Ministry in an embarrassing position.
"He is now giving me a timeline of the 28th of November when the ship is nowhere close to Jamaica. When we have to go to Trinidad we believe in CARICOM but when Jamaica has to go to Trinidad to say we have to borrow some bags because we are out, do you think that looks good in terms of our own credibility and our own perception in the Caribbean?" Dr. Ferguson asked.
The Minister of Health Wednesday ordered a review of the contractual relationship between the Blood Bank and its suppliers.
Mr. Spencer says steps are to be taken to activate the inventory management system installed at the facility a year ago.
The Minister insisted that systems must be in place to ensure that timely reports are made to the relevant persons before supplies are exhausted.
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