Govt hires 2,000 health care workers

GOVERNMENT on Thursday agreed to hire 2,000 health care assistants to help alleviate the situation created by the critical shortage of nursing and other medical personnel.

Government also announced plans to invite tenders for the establishment of two haemodialysis centres, “in the hope” that the cost of dialysis treatment would be free “in the long run”. Health Minister Colm Imbert made  these announcements at a post-Cabinet briefing at Whitehall Thursday. He said the first batch of 500 health care assistants would be hired by July/August. He said these health care assistants who would be required to have some medical training, would take over the “mundane” duties and therefore free registered nurses to do more professional nursing work. These health care assistants would be a group distinct from the nursing aids, Imbert explained.

Imbert said while there was a  total establishment of 2,106 nurses, there were vacancies for 1,136. He added that currently there were 650 nursing students, of whom 238 were writing final exams this year. Imbert said the shortage of nurses had resulted in low morale, high absenteeism and ‘burn out’. Imbert said the health care assistants would be hired for six months during which their performance would be reviewed. Those deemed to be suitable would be employed on a permanent basis with the Regional Health Authorities. He added that this programme would generate employment for women. Imbert also announced that Cabinet agreed to allow the Ministry of Health to request proposals for the establishment of two haemodialysis centres. These tenders would be professionally evaluated, he said.

Imbert said the cost of dialysis varied in Trinidad and Tobago with the cheapest being available at the John Haynes Kidney Foundation at a cost of $550 per session to $1,200 per session at private hospitals. This meant that the annual cost ranged from $80,000 to $180,000, which was well above the average income. Imbert said government had decided to have  a private institution run the haemodialysis centre because it believed this would lead to greater efficiency. He said under the arrangement the Government would pay the private institution a fee for the service, while the equipment and other facilities would be owned by the institution. Imbert said there were currently 900 people in Trinidad and Tobago who required dialysis. The public system only had a capacity to deal with 300, he said. He added that it was hoped that this new arrangement would expand the capacity from 300 to 700.