GREEN POND, St James — The possibility of creating a centre in St James where medical training can be simulated as part of a global health initiative will be explored, next week, by a delegation visiting from America.

“A simulation centre is a high-tech centre where people can train on mannequins — basically computerised people as opposed to real people. They’re coming in the island on Tuesday and they’ll be in Kingston, and also doing a tour in MoBay,” stated Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton.

He was speaking with the media following the official opening of the renovated Green Pond Health Centre in St James on Thursday. The health minister said the team will travel from Hartford, Connecticut, which he visited late last year to hammer out a memorandum of understanding (MOU) aimed at bolstering training for doctors, nurses, and other health practitioners.

Another MOU is to be signed between Jamaica and the Philippines during the health ministry’s first-ever career expo and employment fair on January 22 and 23 at The University of the West Indies. Philippines’ Secretary of Health Ted Herbosa, who will be the special guest at the job fair, is to arrive on the island on Monday.

“We will sign an MOU around training, collaboration, around support for our hospital system which could possibly include nationals from that country coming to Jamaica. Because once we exhaust all the possibilities here and expand the training where there are still gaps, we may have to look at how we collaborate around inflows, inward migration as opposed to people leaving,” stated Tufton.

The aim is to fill present and upcoming vacancies within the public health sector, including the Western Child and Adolescent Hospital which is under construction in St James, and the Cornwall Regional Hospital, which is also undergoing rehabilitation in the parish.

The Child and Adolescent Hospital is expected to be opened to the public within the first half of the year while the Cornwall Regional Hospital, which is scheduled to be completed next year, will start phased reoccupation this month.

During his address in Green Pond, Tufton urged citizens in and around the area to care for the health centre in their community. Serving approximately 13,000 patients annually, the centre was renovated at a cost of $30 million.

“My admonition to you, or encouragement, is to make this place be the beacon, the centre of stability, the support for community — young and old — a place that is welcoming, warm. Let customer service be the bedrock of the beauty of the building, because therapy must start at the gate. A warm welcome, even for the customer from hell,” encouraged Tufton.

The minister pointed to the importance of enhancing health services for all.

“The two most important aspects of an organisation and its success are the people who work in the organisation and the people whom the organisation serves. While we focus on giving patients better care, we also have to focus on ensuring that the staff are motivated to come to work every day. They have a lunch room. They have a fridge so that they can keep their lunch cool; a microwave where they can warm it up when the time comes; have a nice AC [air conditioner] where they can sit down for five minutes if they can,” argued Tufton.

To date, 13 health centres have been upgraded and renovated in St James under Operation Refresh.

The newly renovated Green Pond Health Centre in St James. (Anthony Lewis)