Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton says the Government has made significant strides in strengthening the delivery of maternal care and childcare under the Programme for the Reduction of Maternal and Child Mortality (PROMAC).

“We have made inroads in a number of areas, which take us along the path to realising the outcomes of the targeted spend of Euro 22 million of this programme,” he said.

Dr Tufton was addressing a recent ceremony at the Bustamante Hospital for Children in St Andrew, to mark the breaking of ground for construction of a high-dependency unit (HDU) at the facility, in addition to Victoria Jubilee, St Andrew; and Cornwall Regional, St James.

The health minister, meanwhile, said investments have been made in building the capacity of healthcare professionals, citing the award of scholarships for studies at the University of the West Indies (UWI).

These include 30 awards for Doctor of Medicine in Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and Anaesthesia and Intensive Care; 25 for short courses in Obstetrics Ultrasound; and 15 for Fundamentals in Neonatal Ventilation at The University of the West Indies (UWI).

In addition, five fellows have also been trained in maternal-foetal medicine and critical care.

Seventy-three nurses have been trained at the University of Technology, Jamaica — 50 in Post-basic Critical Care, and 23 in Post-basic Midwifery, while an additional 22 are currently being trained at the Kingston School of Nursing.

Primary health care workers have also been trained in neonatal resuscitation, obstetrics care and customer service, and 25 dieticians and nutritionists have received instruction in neonatal nutrition.

Critical resources have also been procured and distributed under the programme.

These include six ambulances assigned to Mandeville, St Jago Park, Annotto Bay, and the Savanna-la-Mar health centres and the Alexandria and Chapelton community hospitals.

Additionally, 150 fully equipped midwife bags for primary health care nurses have been distributed, and health centres and referral hospitals across the island have been outfitted with radiographic and laboratory equipment.

The objectives of PROMAC, which is funded by the Government of Jamaica and the European Union (EU), are geared at reducing the incidence of neonatal deaths due to lack of access to high-dependency care; reducing maternal deaths due to lack of access to emergency obstetric care; and improving the quality of management of high-risk pregnancies at both tertiary and primary health care facilities.

It involves construction of 11 HDUs at six hospitals as well as procurement of equipment for the units.