Health Sector Strengthened

The year 2006 was a year of changes and challenges for the Ministry of Health, which saw the ushering in of Horace Dalley as the new Minister of Health in April.

            He replaced the highly respected John Junor, who held the position from 1998. As Minister of Health, Mr. Junor will be most remembered for the establishment of the National Health Fund, which was officially launched in November 2003. The Fund was launched as part of the Ministry’s efforts to tackle the rising problems of chronic diseases among Jamaicans.

            The Ministry also lost Dr. Barry Wint, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), who died on September 7. The contributions of this medical stalwart impacted greatly on health in Jamaica and the region. As CMO, he advised the Government of Jamaica, the Minister of Health and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry on technical matters as they relate to the health of the population.

            He was remembered by his colleagues at the Ministry as a warm, unassuming, humble man, who gave selfless service to advancing eye care health service to underprivileged Jamaicans. Dr. Sheila Campbell-Forrester is currently Acting CMO.

Jamaica/Cuba Eye Care Programme

            The late Dr. Wint was among eight-member delegation headed by the Minister Dalley, who travelled to Cuba in June to visit institutions where surgeries were being performed on Jamaicans under the Jamaica/Cuba Eye Care Programme.

            The trip was made in the wake of reports that some persons, who were treated at a particular facility, had suffered deteriorated eyesight after returning to the island.

            In response to the concern, the Cuban authorities transferred all Jamaican patients to the facility in question and called in the doctors, whose work was being questioned following eye surgeries.

            During the visit, the Health Minister expressed a high level of satisfaction about the quality of ophthalmology care being offered to Jamaican and other Caribbean patients participating in the Jamaica/Cuba Eye Care Programme.

            However, he noted that there was need for greater collaboration between Jamaican and Cuban ophthalmologists to further enhance the programme.

            Coming out of the visit, two Cuban ophthalmology specialists were dispatched to Jamaica to investigate the complaints and Cuban authorities agreed to provide cornea transplants for those Jamaican patients requiring corrective measures. The Ministry also reviewed the protocol for screening patients before and after they travel to Cuba and by August streamlined the process.

            “We are now using the standard set by the World Health Organisation for screening, so if the patient is considered to be hypertensive and it is uncontrolled, then we will not send them,” said Dr. Sandra Knight, Coordinator of the Jamaica/Cuba Eye Care Programme.

            This also means that persons suffering from conditions such as diabetes and hypertension will have to get their conditions under control before they are allowed to undergo surgeries in Cuba. “We are also trying to limit persons with other conditions like thyroid problems, cancers and heart diseases,” she stressed, explaining that these conditions would determine the patient’s prognosis in terms of how quickly they would heal, if their sight would return fully, and how soon they could return home after surgery. The programme celebrated its first anniversary in September.

Gov’t and Nurses Sign Wage Agreement

            After a protracted and sometimes heated negotiation process, the government and the nurses represented by the Nurses Association of Jamaica finally reached a settlement in August.

 “I am heartened and relieved that the leadership of the NAJ has once again demonstrated their commitment to health sector and to the people of Jamaica by deciding to resume normal duties following their days of protest,” Minister Dalley said.

Nigerian Nurses Arrive

            In November, some 30 Nigerian nurses arrived in the island as part of the bilateral agreement between the Jamaican and Nigerian governments under the Technical Aid Corps (TAC) scheme.

            The nurses filled positions within three of the four regional health authorities. Under the TAC Scheme, which was signed in August 2002, the Nigerian government upon the request of the Jamaican government, agreed to send medical volunteers to the island for a period of two years .