Exchange Programme In Health Sector Being Explored By Jamaica And The Philippines
By: , January 22, 2025
Photo: Mark Bell
Secretary of Health for the Republic of the Philippines, Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa, in conversation with Chief Medical Officer (CMO) in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie, at the Bustamante Hospital for Children on January 21. Dr. Herbosa toured the Children’s surgical ward, the $4-million Ward 5 renovation project, the Learning Activity Centre and met with staff. The Ministry is hosting Dr. Herbosa and his team from January 20 to 23.
Photo: Mark Bell
Secretary of Health for the Republic of the Philippines, Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa and Senior Medical Officer at the Bustamante Hospital for Children, Dr. Michelle-Ann Richards Dawson, tour sections of the hospital on January 21. Also pictured is Chief Medical Officer (CMO) in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor–McKenzie (right, background). The Ministry is hosting Dr. Herbosa and his team from January 20 to 23.The Full Story
An exchange programme is among areas of cooperation being put forward to improve human resources in the public healthcare sector, between the Governments of Jamaica and the Republic of the Philippines.
Discussions are in progress as the Ministry of Health and Wellness hosts the visit of Secretary of Health for the Republic of the Philippines, Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa, from January 20 to 23.
It is expected that the countries will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for human resource training and other technical support for cooperation and exchange between the countries.
On Tuesday (January 21), Dr. Herbosa toured the Bustamante Hospital for Children’s surgical ward, the $4-million Ward 5 renovation project, the Learning Activity Centre and met with staff.
Speaking with journalists, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie, said the bilateral agreement should prove to be mutually beneficial.
A delegation from the Ministry recently visited the Philippines to conduct a review of the country’s public health framework.
“I think the exchanges that we are looking at [will focus on] physicians and nurses. When we were in the Philippines, we visited a lot of their specialist hospitals and what we found was that they certainly have the numbers to give exposure to a lot of procedures. I think the experience in terms of exchanges to expose our physicians to more procedures, I think this is a good opportunity,” Dr. Bisasor-McKenzie said, noting that the Philippines boasts a strong nurse training programme.
“What we saw were well-run hospitals, very good maintenance framework, as well as management framework and we think Jamaica can benefit from those in terms of study tours and exchanges,” she added.
In terms of what Jamaica can contribute under the exchange programme, Dr. Bisasor-McKenzie pointed to the country’s very high rate of immunisation, its community mental health programme, and its well- known ‘Jamaica Moves’ public education campaign that promotes a healthy lifestyle to reduce non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Dr. Herbosa will be the Guest Speaker at the Inaugural Careers in Health Expo, scheduled for January 22 to 23 at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona.