MONTEGO BAY, St James — Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton says incentives will be provided to specialised health professionals who have sought greener pastures overseas, as Government intensifies efforts to get them to “come back home” and fill vacancies in the county’s medical facilities.

As an example of the jobs to be filled, he pointed out that 27 per cent (1,730) of all positions in the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA) are now vacant.

The WRHA is just one of the country’s four health regions.

“So, that appeal is being made. I’ve started making it coming out of my visit to Washington, New York and Miami recently but we’re going to formalise it through actual advertising and promotion,” the minister said Thursday during a press conference held at S Hotel in Montego Bay.

“[To fill the vacancies] we are collaborating with bilateral partners — India, Philippines, Nigeria. And I’ll tell you, I just got back from the US and we have decided our team is to actually advertise the positions in the US for Jamaicans who may want to return to Jamaica,” he added.

Making the case for the return of those who have left, he argued that improvements in the country’s infrastructure, ongoing hospital upgrades, efforts to reduce crime, and the opportunity for individuals to have more disposable income have made Jamaica increasingly attractive as a place to live and work. Citing Cornwall Regional Hospital and the Western Children and Adolescents Hospital in St James as examples, Tufton also said more medical facilities are being built, which provides an avenue for better working conditions over time.

“What this means, I believe — and I’m saying so with a lot of faith and conviction and hope — is that some of the very Jamaicans who have left our shores for ‘greener pastures’ will reconsider and return to our shores because, as it relates to quality of life and peace of mind, Jamaica has its unique place in the hearts of every Jamaican. And even though we live abroad, most of our desire, those who do so, is to ultimately settle back home. And we are saying to Jamaicans who live in the Diaspora — whether it is in Canada, the UK, the USA or elsewhere — ‘Come back home. We have a place for you in the health system within the areas, obviously, where we are short of specialists. We will find a way to incentivise you to relocate. We will work with you because we would like all those posts to be filled by Jamaicans who have left us –– which is their right so to do,” the minister appealed.

In addition to the big push to bring medical practitioners home, efforts are also being made to keep those who are still here from leaving.

“We are going to be embarking on a housing programme for staff across the country and are talking to [National Housing Trust] about that. You’ll hear more in this term of office about the housing on hospital premises but in the meantime, if it is a case of rental or leasing, that’s one [thing] that we can do,” stated Tufton.

He also said efforts are being made to provide more training opportunities for employees within the western region.

“I had a meeting this morning looking at a global health platform that will see more training and the possibility of a training facility being built out here [in western Jamaica],” stated Tufton.

Pointing out that only 4,449 of the 6,179 positions within the WRHA are now filled, he spoke of the impact gaps like these have on the country’s ability to efficiently provide health care.

“Staffing is a challenge in the health system across the country, and certainly the western region suffers similarly,” stated Tufton.

The minister made the point that some positions are difficult to fill because of the location and the specialised skills required. He gave specialised nurses and doctors as an example.

“Similarly, some of the locations in [the] western region are not as attractive to a prospect. Unfortunately, even though Westmoreland is a beautiful parish some people don’t want to go and work there for various reasons,” revealed Tufton.

The minister noted that while the challenges are multifaceted in terms of filling these posts, the ministry is currently developing a programme to optimise employment.

“The region has instructions to advertise the positions to see what the market is offering and, hopefully, to fill as many as possible,” stated Tufton.

He said the shortage has resulted in staff being overworked.

“The assumption of compensation review was to have staff members work 40 hours a week and on shifts where there is a 24-hour service requirement. Unless we get the optimal levels of employment, what you [will] have are more people working multiple shifts. And the consequences of that would be burnout, stress, and the compromising of the service quality,” reasoned Tufton.

“So, it really is not ideal to have persons working multiple shifts. We know that some of the staff members are stressed out from this and we are encouraging the region to be proactive, be creative in its recruitment processes,” urged the minister.