‘A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit’. This is a proverb with which I find favour and one that I hope can take root with others amidst the noise currently plaguing the public health sector.

Yes, there are challenges to the health system
— from issues to do with infrastructure to human resources and customer service. It is also true that we are making significant progress to improve service delivery, thanks to the adoption of innovation and collaborative best efforts to achieve sought-after changes, in the public health interest.

The gains up to now are there for all to see. They include a National Health Fund (NHF) that has provided more drugs than ever before while also increasing outlets and the number of prescriptions filled. The NHF, an agency of the Ministry of Health and Wellness, has also expanded support for diagnostic tests for the early detection of cervical and prostate cancers, with Jamaican women 21 years and older now eligible to receive a subsidy to cover the cost of a pap smear while men 40 years and older are able to access the subsidy for a PSA test.

BUILD-OUT

We are also on course with the build-out of our health system infrastructure
— from the redevelopment of Cornwall Regional Hospital to the construction of the new Western Children and Adolescent Hospital. We have started work on the redevelopment of Spanish Town Hospital and are giving similar attention to two others
— May Pen Hospital and St Ann’s Bay Hospital
— all under the Health Systems Strengthening Programme (HSSP).

The development of these hospitals are in addition to the 10 health centres that are also being upgraded as part of the HSSP, which is financed by the Government of Jamaica (US$87.4 million), the Inter-American Development Bank (US$50 million) and the European Union (US$10 million).

Included as part of the upgrade of these facilities are information, communication and technology upgrades and a move to electronic health records, which allows for greater efficiency in the delivery of care; shorter wait times for patients; less cost in providing services; increased productivity; and improved service satisfaction levels.

PUBLIC BUY-IN

We have also earned public buy-in, nurtured by programmes that have helped to inspire collaboration. They include initiatives such as ‘New Limb, New Life’, ‘Second Chance Smiles’, ‘Know Your Numbers’, and ‘Do Your Share’.

We are continuing those efforts, with the introduction of new ones, including ‘Operation Refresh’, which aligns with ongoing efforts on primary care renewal and which gives attention to refreshing a number of our health centres, to include, among other things, sustainability features such as solar panels.

Also a part of Operation Refresh will be the provision of additional support to our community health aides to enable more community-based activations that benefit seniors and pregnant mothers, and provides basic psychosocial support.

We are, too, beginning the phase out of the outsourcing of diagnostic services, looking instead to realise a lease agreement for the supply, installation, maintenance, and training for 49 pieces of medical diagnostic imagining equipment covering computerise tomography (CT) scanners, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound.

HRH

With the creation of new posts and compensation arrangements now in effect, for the most part, we have also made inroads in addressing the human resource needs of the system, which is in transformation. Still, we are aware that there remains a risk to the availability of personnel to man the health system, given the demand for Jamaican health-care workers.

It is against this background that we are this year also introducing the Dr Barry Wint Memorial Scholarship and Development Fund to which $2.5 billion has been committed over the next five years at $500 million a year. The scholarship will be open to Jamaicans pursuing studies in nursing and medicine, public health, medical technology, epidemiology, health records management, medical physics, hospital/healthcare management, information systems for health, dentistry and health economics
— all of which are among the critical groups we need to fill the gaps in our human resources.

PUBLIC SERVANTS

None of this would have been possible without the commitment and tireless work of our public servants in health, who are now caught in the firing line of critics intent on misinformation and mischief
— and on the eve of Healthcare Workers Appreciation Month no less.

The last couple of weeks have seen coordinated attacks on our senior public servants and volunteers in public health by the Opposition. There have been a barrage of spokespersons and press releases from that organisation calling on the chief medical officer and the permanent secretary as well as board chairs for at least two regional health authorities to resign, citing spurious reasons.

This is unfortunate and, frankly, insensible
— at a time when the public health team are working to ensure that long after we are gone, we have a health system that is fit for purpose, in service to the people of Jamaica.

I know it is the season for political machinations and therefore hold no brief for myself. However, I am deeply disappointed and strongly condemn these baseless attacks on the reputation of hard-working public servants and on the institution they represent.

The Opposition have clearly decided that their best hope for political office is to pursue a carpet-bombing strategy, throwing as much mud as possible in hope that something will stick. That makes for a messy situation, which they should clean up. Their failure to do so is a clear indication of their moral bankruptcy.

I therefore want to encourage the women and men in public health to continue to do their work and to ignore the noise. To do otherwise would be incongruent with the public health interest.

— Dr Christopher Tufton is the Minister of Health and Wellness and Member of Parliament for St Catherine West Central