More Nurses To Boost Health Care Delivery

The Ministry of Health has announced plans to boost the quality of care in the public health system by increasing the number of nurses, patient care assistants and community health aides.

Some 213 nurses are to be hired on an incremental basis, 150 patient care assistants and 200 community health aides. One hundred and eighty-one medical interns and 106 senior house officers have also been assigned to locations across the island, recently.

This was revealed by Portfolio Minister, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, in an address to journalists at a press briefing, held at the Pegasus Hotel, today (September  2).

He said this is being done in order to alleviate the concerns and “improve the comfort (of patients) during hospital stays, such as with regular turning, feeding, dressing and changing.”

The Minister noted that the Ministry has engaged a committee to examine a draft document for the Customer Service Policy. The committee includes the regional health authorities, the Combined Disabilities Association, the Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine and the Registrar General’s Department.

“We plan to have consultations with various groups, including staff and members of the public, once we have strengthened the draft document,” he said.

Dr. Ferguson also announced that hospital staff residence and other staff accommodation facilities will be renovated this fiscal year, at an estimated cost of $250 million.

“The bills of quantity have been completed and we hope to have a contractor identified this calendar year,” he said.

The Minister added that bathroom facilities for staff and patients are also slated for major repairs this year.