Health Ministry to Improve Reporting Functions of Regional Health Authorities

Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, says that the Ministry is looking to improve the reporting functions of the Regional Health Authorities (RHA) in order to ensure the proper governance of the health sector.

“As it is now, the RHAs report directly to the Minister that is how the law has it and so persons do not feel compelled to pass information on to the Ministry, but when there is a crisis, it’s the Ministry…so we have to work out the Act and the laws so that the governance arrangement can be better perceived in order to get the best results,” he noted.

The Minister was speaking at the 42^nd Annual Conference of the Jamaica Enrolled Assistant Nurses’ Association on October 28.

In his address at the function, which was held at the Hotel Four Seasons, Ruthven Road, Kingston, Dr. Ferguson praised the commitment of the enrolled assistant nurses to the national health sector.

“You represent a most important group… you have demonstrated your skills and your abilities. When there are industrial actions, many times, you are there carrying the ball,” he noted.

The conference, which was held under the theme: ‘Optimal Support Because We Care’, entailed discussions on the national health policy and addressed issues raised by the members of the association.

The RHAs were formed by the passage of the National Health Services Act in 1997. Their establishment was in keeping with the Government’s health sector reform programme, which saw the decentralising of health service delivery.

Under decentralisation, the management and delivery of health services shifted from Central Government (Ministry of Health) to four semi-autonomous bodies, which have responsibility for the operation and management of health services within a defined geographic area.

These are the Southern Regional Health Authority, Western Regional Health Authority, North East Regional Health Authority, and the South East Regional Health Authority.