September 17, 2024
The surge in migration among healthcare workers threatens the quality of care and jeopardises health outcomes for the People of the Caribbean Community. This was the warning shared by Dr. Andy St. Hilaire, Officer in Charge, Office of the Chief Medical Officer, Dominica and Chair of the Meeting of Officials Preparatory to the Forty-Seventh Meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) held on 11 September.
The Policy Brief on the Migration of Healthcare Workers in the Caribbean, a crucial document for consideration by health sector development stakeholders, was presented at the Meeting.
Dr. Hilaire encouraged robust discussion on the policy brief and strongly advocated for the crucial role of collective action in tackling the issue during his engagement with stakeholders at the Meeting. These included Chief Medical Officers, national health officials, representatives from regional institutions and bodies, including the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), and the Human Resources for Health Caribbean Commission. Regional and international partners, including the Global Fund and Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/World Health Organisation (WHO) also participated.
“Coexisting with all the challenges we experience in the health sector is the chronic shortage of healthcare workers within the Caribbean, especially physicians, nurses and midwives,” stated Dr. Hilaire. “The migration of healthcare workers significantly impacts our health systems’ ability to provide quality and timely healthcare services. Therefore, policies to train and retain healthcare workers in the Region must be creative, robust and more responsive to the needs of our healthcare personnel.”
Collective Action and Innovation are required to retain healthcare workers
Dr. Hilaire advocated for a unified approach by health sector development stakeholders to retain Caribbean healthcare workers. He stated, “This meeting presents an excellent opportunity for us to provide our collective insight to address the challenges we face in assuring health for all people in the Region, and we should chart a course towards more integrated and effective approaches to achieving resilient and responsive health systems.” He highlighted that the diversity of expertise and perspectives from stakeholders at the meeting will help to achieve the necessary creativity and innovation to reach meaningful solutions.
The migration of healthcare workers policy brief will form a pivotal part of the discussions for CARICOM Ministers of Health attending the Forty-Seventh COHSOD – Health, scheduled for 27-28 September 2024 in Washington, DC, United States of America.