Health care professionals need to take a leadership role in educating and promoting positive social behaviours, practices and other things that would ensure that the region can build a healthy society from thriving children to long living adults.
This was one of the messages that Socorro Gross, Assistant Director at the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO)/World Health Organisation (WHO) gave as he delivered remarks at the High Level Meeting on Human Resources for Health in the Caribbean entitled, “Building a Road Map for Strengthening the Caribbean Health Workforce 2012–2017” held at the Accra Beach Hotel and Spa recently.
He said that it is commendable that the populations in the region are living longer and but to see this continue would depend on us.
“Our populations are ageing, and it is wonderful that we are living longer and we need to ensure that longevity of life is also a quality of life. The probability of health and comfortable older lives of our populations and ourselves depends on how we move as a society toward more collective and supportive ways of living together; how we move as a community toward more tolerant and encouraging behaviours with each other and how we move as individuals and families toward more constructive and healthy lifestyle choices.”
Health care professionals can help move this along by developing policies and strategies that promote these positive cultural practices. This becomes even more important as our society grapples with increased incidences in chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCDs), said Gross.
“We also have illnesses that are changing our population because the increasing incidences of illness are non-communicable diseases and chronic conditions. Those of us responsible for health policies and planning know that these chronic conditions require longer term care and more care as related conditions increase and put more and more demand on the workforce.”This calls for health care professionals to strengthen health care facilities to meet the growing demands of patients and their illnesses, ensure that the workforce updates their skills and knowledge on a regular basis to cater to these needs; find creative ways of dealing with new issues that arise that have the potential to threaten our health care systems such as an increase in violent incidences and find ways to improve the working conditions of the employees by examining management styles, explained Gross.
“We have to address fortifying the health system with health human resources that are enough, that are trained well and ones that can meet the demands of the entire country with quality care. We must aim to fill the gaps in our workforce with creative strategies for recruitment and retention. We know that working conditions strongly impact the pull or push factors of the health workforce, so we need to look at management styles that create motivation and empower-ment and equal treatment without discrimination. We need to address the health and safety of our workers. Violence is a problem in our diverse and economically stretched societies and we must be sure that the hospitals and clinics are protected. Finally, we can improve working conditions through education.”
“When we as health professionals feel prepared and up to date on skills and knowledge, we are empowered to produce quality work for which we are proud. We are able to do the service to which we are committed.” (PJT)
