Those in the know say Jamaica earned in excess of US$2 billion from remittances in 2023.

Indeed, money sent home by Jamaicans working overseas has been an economic cornerstone dating back well in excess of 100 years.

We go back to the turn of the 20th century when that colossal engineering project, the Panama Canal, was executed with thousands of Jamaicans and others from across the Caribbean providing blood, sweat, tears — and in many cases losing their lives.

Even before that, in the latter 19th century, history records the mass use of Jamaican labourers on agricultural plantations in Cuba, Central America, and Colombia.

The economic benefits notwithstanding, there has always been a downside to migration. For example, older Jamaicans recall that in the 1950s, 60s, 70s, the breakdown of family life was often partially blamed on parents having to leave their children behind in the quest for greener pastures in Britain and North America.

Also, back then, rural and urban communities lost leadership and the ability to organise themselves as their most industrious residents left.

Those challenges remain to this day. But also, perhaps more than ever before, our more educated, better trained people, including teachers, nurses, doctors, police, and skilled artisans are those most in demand by overseas labour markets.

We recall just over a year ago the lament from the education sector and the scramble to fill vacancies following widespread departure of specialist teachers.

In health, portfolio minister Dr Christopher Tufton has often pointed to the debilitating effect of nurses, doctors and others leaving, tugged away by much higher salaries elsewhere.

Just recently he highlighted the shortage of specialist medical staff as a central challenge following unfortunate incidents, including the death of a newborn for whom a ventilator and crew were unavailable.

The situation calls for innovation and creativity. To be fair to the minister he has not been short of ideas.

He gained applause in this space last month for plans, including a $2.5-billion scholarship fund — over five years — for medical students, as part of a training and retention strategy for critical health-care professionals.

Also, we liked Dr Tufton’s exploration of the possibility of a flexi-contract arrangement for high-demand specialists who may find it convenient to work both here and abroad. In such an arrangement, for example, “a nurse could work five months at a UK hospital and seven months in Jamaica”, in effect, maximising “the best of both worlds”.

Yet, there can be no denying that such strategies are easier talked about than implemented.

And, the health minister’s frustration was obvious last month at a signing ceremony for a health sector human resource partnership with the Republic of the Philippines, as he criticised rich countries for their tendency to recruit without a thought for constructive collaboration leaving countries “like Jamaica” severely deprived.

As has been said in this space, and by the minister, these are the same countries issuing travel advisories lambasting allegedly inadequate health care in Jamaica and elsewhere.

In our view, the situation requires intense lobbying on the international stage. Jamaica and others in the same boat should proactively band together to make their voices heard. Where there is will and determination there is always a way.