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Contact:
Julita Peter
Tuesday, November 9, 2004 - The Health Study Report is now in the hands
of Cabinet. Hon. Mario Michel, Minister for Education and Deputy Prime Minister
received the report on behalf of Prime Minister, Hon. Dr. Kenny Anthony. The
study was conducted by the Health Study Commission established by Cabinet to
conduct investigations into St. Lucia’s medical system.
Chairman of the Commission Sir Richie Haynes said that the Health Study was an
extremely exhaustive one, which required the collaboration of public health
institutions, health professionals, officials in the Ministry of Health and
related ministries.
The Health Study Report makes recommendations on programs of action over the
next few years that are expected to evolve into major changes in the culture,
physical structure and delivery of health care in St. Lucia.
“When you look at the overall situation in St. Lucia, we concur with previous
studies that you have a good infrastructure, in terms of your primary health
care, in terms of the relationships, and so on. The question is how to make it
function and how to make individuals in the system function, how to change the
culture in some instances quite acutely”, remarked Sir Richie.
The Report further makes recommendations to address the defects in the
legislative structure governing health services. It also highlights the concerns
of doctors and nurses.
“You have a solid core of qualified consultants at the level of doctors, you
have a solid core of well educated nurses, and we have been very, very impressed
with the presentations that the nurses made. I think that the big issues like
migration of nurses, the various levels of dissatisfaction in the nursing
services, the role that they should play in the governance of management of the
system, all that is dealt with and there are specific recommendations”, Sir
Richie assured.
As the government of St. Lucia continues to invest heavily in the physical
infrastructure of the health services, human resource compatibility has become
key, according to Minister Michel: “We are confident that your report, ably
assisted by others - Mrs. Jennifer Astafan, Dr. Barbara Johnson and Mr. Cletus
Springer - will provide the sort of recommendation, the sort of framework that
we require to end this gulf that has existed, and which enables us to work hand
in hand with the human resource situation, together with the improvement in the
health sector, to ensure that we can take the health system forward”.
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