KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica’s Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton has used the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA) to push ahead with his plans to recruit specialist nurses as well as inking deals for ongoing training arrangements for these critical healthcare workers.

Minister Tufton, on the sidelines of the WHA, held bilateral talks and signed off on Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with fellow health ministers from Ghana, India and The Philippines, which will not only see the arrival of nurses to fill critical specialists posts in Jamaica, but will a see the ramping up of training, to be accessed remotely by selected nurses in Jamaica.

“We will be establishing a simulation centre in Jamaica where inhouse training will be provided remotely to our nurses,” said Dr Tufton.

At the same time, the minister, who made a working visit to The Philippines last year, said a technical delegation from that country will be visiting Jamaica next month.

Minister Tufton said, too, that discussions are continuing with Apollo Hospitals – India’s leading multi-speciality healthcare network – for the recruitment of specialist healthcare professionals. A senior management team from Apollo had met with the health ministry earlier this month.

Apollo and the Ministry of Health and Wellness had signed a joint communiqué in 2006 and are now preparing for the implementation stage in the recruitment of nurses for Jamaica, as well as the training of local healthcare workers.

Dr Tufton, in his sectoral budget presentation to the House on May 12, said the categories of shortage in specialist areas are critical/intensive care, oncology, paediatrics, accident and emergency, nephrology/renal dialysis, ophthalmology, neonatology, midwifery, psychiatry, burn care and cardiothoracic. In addition to recruitment from Nigeria, Ghana, and India, the minister said 100 specialist nurses are scheduled to complete studies this year. In addition, more than 70 nurses have been interviewed following a diaspora recruitment, and successful applicants are expected to be deployed over the next few months. Also, 48 nurses and doctors granted Barry Wint Memorial Scholarships are to be deployed to fill post in public health facilities across the island, on completion of their studies.

The newly formed International Recruitment Unit will serve as the central coordinating hub for all international recruitments under bilateral cooperation and within the diaspora.

“The unit will focus on mitigating critical workforce shortages, particularly in specialised fields. The unit will also assist in coordinating partnerships for training that involves cross border agreements,” said Dr Tufton.

The ministry will also be upgrading inhouse facilities to offer more courses utilising the Kingston School of Nursing or remotely, as well as the increased clinical rotation space to be available with expanded hospitals.

Meanwhile, on Thursday WHA delegates approved a resolution recognising steatotic liver disease (SLD) as an important and growing contributor to the global burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). SLD, formerly referred to as fatty liver disease, affects an estimated 1.7 billion people worldwide, and is one of the fastest-growing causes of chronic liver disease globally.

The condition is closely linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other metabolic conditions, while alcohol-associated liver disease remains an important contributor to the overall burden. Without effective prevention and care, SLD can progress to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer, placing increasing pressure on health systems worldwide.

The resolution called on member states to integrate SLD into national NCD strategies, strengthen primary health care approaches, improve surveillance and awareness, and promote multisectoral action addressing shared NCD risk factors, including unhealthy diets, physical inactivity and the harmful use of alcohol. It also calls for strengthening access to prevention, screening, diagnosis and management services, particularly for populations at higher risk, including children and adolescents.