COOPER’S PEN, Trelawny — The newly-elected President of the Nurses Association of Jamaica, Carmen L Johnson, has described wage and fringe benefits talks with the Government as amicable.

Speaking with reporters during the Nurses Association of Jamaica’s 47th annual conference being held at the Royalton White Sands Resort in Trelawny on Friday, Johnson said her group hopes “this friendly and understanding atmosphere” between both parties will continue.

“When we have our clarification meeting, it was a very amicable meeting. It was a good, friendly atmosphere and we are of the impression that this is the right move and this is the way to move forward,” said Johnson.

“It was a meeting where they understood what we were asking for. They sought clarification and we provided it. And they have demonstrated an upgrading of what we had asked for and where we intend to go. We expect to have that kind of relationship as we move forward; not an adversarial one, but one that we can look at the impact that our nurses have had on the country, and how we want to keep them to continue the gains that we have made and to move forward.”

Johnson, who is a departmental manager at the St Ann’s Bay Regional Hospital, pointed out that “our negotiations are not surrounded by points, but major issues that impact the nurses”.

These, she noted, include: security of tenure, pension, housing, government funding of training for the nurses to include scholarships and grants, the creation of more appointment posts for a number of nurses who are waiting to be appointed in the system, and infrastructural improvements at the workplace.

Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton, in his address at the conference, pointed to a raft of issues which he said were being addressed by the Government in an effort to improve the conditions under which nurses work and to provide other benefits.

“Discussions are taking place and those discussions are driven by the Ministry of Finance and Public Service. So it is happening,” Dr Tufton told reporters following his address to the nurses.

“We empathise with the nurses and the concerns that they have, and are prepared to give the critical support.And at the same time we have to be mindful of the Government’s position and what it can afford. In my discussions today (Friday), I emphasise the package and why we need to enhance the environment, because I am not convinced that nurses are only concerned about salary. They are concerned about their working environment and, of course, there are many plans afoot to deal with some of that. So I think all in all, we have a proposal, part of the comprehensive review and reform process, and so with time we will drive that and hope the nurses will receive the benefits of it.”

Issues addressed by the minister during his message to the nurses included evaluation of job security and performance; a compassion care programme to be launched shortly; amendments to the Pharmaceutical Act which will allow for nurse practitioners to prescribe, up to a certain point, medication for patients; a major overall plan of the health sector starting this year; the issuing of instructions to the regional authorities for nurses who are presently doing Level Two work to be paid Level Two salaries; public/private partnership to build housing facilities on hospital compounds; rehabilitation of health facilities; and discussions with Cuba, Canada and the United Kingdom for the training of nurses starting this financial year.

The four-day conference is being held under the theme: ‘Nurses: A voice to lead — Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals’.