Multi-Pronged Approach to Boosting Healthcare Workers

The Government is actively working to boost the number of healthcare workers in the public health system.

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, said that a multi-pronged approach is being undertaken involving staff training and development, international recruitment and improving retention.

Dr. Tufton, who was addressing yesterday’s (March 5) Standing Finance Committee of Parliament, which is reviewing the 2026/2027 Estimates of Expenditure, said that Jamaica has Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with Ghana and Nigeria, and is  looking to engage workers from India and the Philippines.

He noted there have been 136 responses to advertisements placed recently in international media. “We are now in the process of vetting those applications,” he informed.

Dr. Tufton said that Ghana has an excess of healthcare workers, including specialists, who need jobs.

“They have a similar system to ours, and we have been able to work out an MOU to get some of those workers in… we got a few Nigerians recently,” he informed.

Dr. Tufton said that the Dr. Barry Wint Memorial Scholarship has been crucial in the training of local health staff.

The $2.5-billion five-year scholarship programme was initiated in 2024 for studies in medical technology, human resources for health, medical social work, epidemiology, medical physics, health records management, hospital/healthcare management, information systems for health, pharmacy, dentistry, health economics, as well as nursing and medicine.

“There are a number of persons studying in the system with some graduating this year,” Dr. Tufton informed, noting that under the three-year bonding arrangement, these graduates will be integrated into the system.

In addition, he informed that there are more than 100 personnel in various areas of specialisation who are benefiting from in-house training, to bolster specialist skills in the sector.

He noted, further, that through the public-sector compensation review “which gave a fairly substantial increase to a number of workers,”  the Ministry has been able to improve retention in the health sector.