Minister confirms rehiring of retired health workers

Vanuatu’s healthcare service is facing a lot of challenges that are making delivery of an efficient and competent health service to the country very difficult

, Minister of Health Toara Daniel Kalo says.

A rapidly increasing population - growing at 2.4% annually, an increasing number of aged people, and non-communicable diseases (NCD) as one of the major causes of death - an obstacle to economic development, are some he named at the recent launching of the telemedicine project at Naviso village, Maewo.

“Vanuatu as an archipelago, which consists of 80 islands scattered over a widespread sea area make healthcare services delivery very costly and not easy,” he names others more.

He says prevention from imported diseases, ensuring fairness for remote villages and islands, increased demands and over dependence on curative care causing hospital overcrowding are others still.

The Minister of Health admits there is a lack of a succession plan in the Ministry of Health’s human resources management.

“In this regard the Ministry of Health has to consider rehiring some retired nurses such as nurse practitioners, midwives, and nursery nurses. But the Ministry hopes to become more comfortable from 2018 in terms of quantity and quality of our human resources.

“Lack of nurses and doctors has put pressure on service confidence. However, I am happy to say that this year we have a number of young doctors who graduated from Cuban school of medicine serving in internship for one year.

“These doctors will be deployed to health centres and hospital around the country immediately after their internship.”

Health Minister Kalo adds that the country also has new nurses who graduated last year and they are also in internship. He reveals also that the Ministry of Health has increased the number of 2016 intakes in the national nursing school. However, he laments the chronic budgetary issues of the Ministry.

“Limited budget allocated as you know, is causing the Ministry of Health difficulties in settling some of the nurses’ and doctors’ entitlements.

“But because health is one of the government’s priorities, the present government of Prime Minister Charlot Salwai is working on resolving the issues of outstanding payments to retired health workers,” he insists.

The Government through its action and priority agenda 2006 to 2015 has developed a vision for an educated, healthy and wealthy Vanuatu. But the Minister of Health warns this goal won’t be reached “if we do not raise standards for services delivery, particularly to the rural and remote parts of our country to improve access to health in parallel with education services".

This is why the Government will work towards the use of ICT to improve health services delivery, he adds.