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Tuesday, 11 March 2008
Worried about the likelihood of additional pressure on the island's hospitals, health care providers have expressed doubt about the heath system's readiness for Government's promised implementation of free health care at most public hospitals come April 1.
Speaking on RJR's current affairs progamme ‘Beyond the Headlines' on Monday, President of the Medical Association of Jamaica, Dr. Rosemarie Wright-Pascoe, said doctors are worried that the hospitals have not been equipped to cope with the increased numbers of patients who are likely to take advantage of the free services.
"We feel that we are not ready yet. We know that the Minister of Health and the Ministry have been looking at our concerns and the concerns of other members of the health sector, but we're not aware yet that systems have been put in place that will be working come April 1," she said.
She noted that members of the public tend to use the accident and emergency departments in hospitals to access primary health care, therefore placing a greater burden on the hospitals.
According to Dr. Wright-Pascoe, community health centres should be provided with more doctors and nurses and equipped with a wider range of medication to take some of the pressure off the hospitals.
President of the Nurses Association of Jamaica, Edith Allwood Anderson said there are concerns about the number of health care providers available.
She said the public health sector had been suffering from a dwindling number of nurses and those remaining in the system will be overburdened with the expected increase in patient load.
"The cadre is still insufficient. There is a serious deficit. We are hoping to see even at this late stage what will be done for us to try (and alleviate that). We welcome what the Prime Minister said, but there must be the capacity (to do this," said Mrs. Allwood-Anderson.
Both were speaking on RJR's Beyond the Headlines.
Worried about the likelihood of additional pressure on the island's hospitals, health care providers have expressed doubt about the heath system's readiness for Government's promised implementation of free health care at most public hospitals come April 1.
Speaking on RJR's current affairs progamme ‘Beyond the Headlines' on Monday, President of the Medical Association of Jamaica, Dr. Rosemarie Wright-Pascoe, said doctors are worried that the hospitals have not been equipped to cope with the increased numbers of patients who are likely to take advantage of the free services.
"We feel that we are not ready yet. We know that the Minister of Health and the Ministry have been looking at our concerns and the concerns of other members of the health sector, but we're not aware yet that systems have been put in place that will be working come April 1," she said.
She noted that members of the public tend to use the accident and emergency departments in hospitals to access primary health care, therefore placing a greater burden on the hospitals.
According to Dr. Wright-Pascoe, community health centres should be provided with more doctors and nurses and equipped with a wider range of medication to take some of the pressure off the hospitals.
President of the Nurses Association of Jamaica, Edith Allwood Anderson said there are concerns about the number of health care providers available.
She said the public health sector had been suffering from a dwindling number of nurses and those remaining in the system will be overburdened with the expected increase in patient load.
"The cadre is still insufficient. There is a serious deficit. We are hoping to see even at this late stage what will be done for us to try (and alleviate that). We welcome what the Prime Minister said, but there must be the capacity (to do this," said Mrs. Allwood-Anderson.
Both were speaking on RJR's Beyond the Headlines.
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