KINGSTON, Jamaica-The Government is putting a robust system in place to train and certify more people for the local and international healthcare markets while retaining more skilled professionals in Jamaica.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the expansion of the country’s training industry is one of the strategies that will be used to improve human resource capacity in the sector.

It also forms part of efforts to address the issue of migration of healthcare workers.

“We must expand our training systems here because the critical thing is not just that the foreign countries want our nurses; the foreign countries want our training. So, the strategy for human resource improvement is to invest in our training capabilities… and create a training industry here in Jamaica as well,” he said.

Holness was addressing the opening ceremony for the Ministry of Health and Wellness career exposition and employment fair at the University of the West Indies, Mona campus in St Andrew, on Wednesday Wrong.

He noted that the Government is also looking to create a system where the talent that has been exported is encouraged to come back to Jamaica and support the local healthcare sector.

He pointed out that in 2023, approximately 800 nurses left the system, noting that 40 per cent are specialists and highly trained nurses.

He contended that the number is not likely to decline and so the Government has to find a way to manage the process.

“Jamaica, from our history, has always been a net exporter of talent to the point where we have had people with Jamaican connections occupying some of the highest offices in the countries in which they [reside overseas]. We must now manage this talent in a way that we also get the benefit of our well-skilled labour force that is migrating,” he said.

The prime minister said he is hopeful that nurses and other health professionals who are abroad, will consider returning to fill some of the posts that are vacant in the country.

Recruitment is underway to fill some 600 vacancies in the health sector.

“The truth is that there are some persons who would like to come back because it is not all about pay; conditions of work, quality of life, security of family and your cultural connections are also important things. So, we have to create a system where we can leverage that talent that has been exported to come back to Jamaica and support our local healthcare system,” the prime minister said.

-JIS