ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA- GIS: – Grenadian Health officials are taking another bold and aggressive step to beef-up health care services and restore confidence in the nation’s health care system.
With a fresh and powerful mandate, Government has identified the Primary Health Care project (PHC), as the vehicle to take healthcare forward in the delivery of health service.
A ten point service implementation agenda is expected to kick start the program. It includes extended hours of (PHC) services/operation, round the clock on-call emergency services, integration of existing services, and the inclusion of additional services, as well as the up scaling of community outreach services.
Medical Officer with responsibility for (PHC) Dr. Francis Martin, defined the Grenadian program model as a community based healthcare plan where services are integrated/merged, and accessible beyond the normal eight hour day work period.
“We have been practicing PHC for more than five decades and there is now an emergent need for us to improve and strengthen the foundation on which our present system stands,” Dr.Martin said.
“So we have decided to embark on revitalizing the present PHC system in a stepwise and incremental fashion that will take into account its overarching responsibility for health of the nation the need to provide the best health care service that can be available within its fiscal space”. The (PHC) focal-point said, that in preparation for the revitalization and roll-out of the project, the Ministry had to engage its staff, service providers, community based groups, non-governmental organizations and other important stakeholders to build a solid partnership that can move the project forward.“All of this and more formed part of the overall plan, and the (MOHSS) is poised to launch the revitalized program on July 24, 2013”, he said.
Most of the project-related-services will be rolled out in North-Western district; i.e.St. Patrick, St. John and St. Mark, but health experts say, some additional and extended (PHC) services will also be made available at two strategically located medical stations in the St. George’s Health District.
Meanwhile Health and Social Security Minister Dr. Clarice Modeste-Curwen when asked about Government’s commitment to putting the nations’ health first, she replied, “Committed beyond words, delivering on our promise”.
Dr. Modeste highlighted Government’s hiring of additional medical personnel and making budgetary allocation of EC $2 million, for the initial implementation of the project.
The Grenadian Health Minister said, the talk of revitalizing primary health care has been lingering for too long; and that it is about time the project get in motion and bring the desired services to the people.
