| CSM’S
FREE MOVEMENT CLAUSE WILL NOT AFFECT HEALTH SECTOR
- JUNOR
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| KINGSTON,
Jan. 19 (JIS): |
Health
Minister John Junor has assured, that the free movement
of skilled persons throughout the region, will not impact
negatively on the local health sector.
Under the free movement clause of the CARICOM Single
Market (CSM), skilled persons are entitled to move and
work freely throughout the region. Persons eligible
include university graduates, media practitioners, artistes,
musicians, sportspersons, managers, technical and supervisory
staff attached to a company or a self-employed person.
“I do not see it as a problem” Minister
Junor told JIS News. “I am just not one of those
persons that subscribe to those fears. I see it as opportunities
opening up for those who are skilled,” he added.
Elaborating, he said that skilled health personnel in
Jamaica would have the ability to take advantage of
the shortage of doctors and other health professionals
in some of the smaller islands. “There is no point
for these islands to produce these health personnel
because they do not have the economies of scale that
would make it useful for them to set up for example,
a physiotherapy school,” Minister Junor argued.
Jamaica,
he further posited, had the ability to attract students
from these islands and would need to develop the capacity
to train more health personnel. “This would
include expanding the cadre of persons involved in
tutoring to ensure that we have more clinical personnel
that are hospital certified,” Minister Junor
explained.
However, while stressing the opportunities, the Minister
pointed out that Jamaica would have to also consider
the development of retention strategies so as to monitor
the situation. “I think that you will have initial
dislocation, however this will taper off,” he
said.
On January 30, there will be a symbolic signing of
the CSM by participating CARICOM member states at
the University of the West Indies, Mona campus to
formalise the agreement, which took effect on January
1.
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