DR. NEIL SHARMA

Minister for Health

ADDRESS

ALLIED HEALTH WORKERS FORUM

CWMH Auditorium

 Friday, 1^st March 2013

1.00 pm

 

Distinguished Guests

Members of the Allied Health Profession

(Physiotherapists, Dietitians, Xray/Ultrasound, Laboratory, Biomedical Technologists and Environmental Health Officers)

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good Afternoon

• I am very pleased to be here to address you.  We have come a long way from 2009 bringing in a major degree of stability and progress to our Ministry of Health and its ability to deliver healthcare for our people.

• The challenges have been great but resilience and tenacity has contributed to steady progress in many quarters.

• All major pieces of legislation (law) have been addressed with modernization and applicability in our current socio-economic – political context.

• The Allied Health Decree was once such long overdue piece which has been endorsed by Cabinet, gazette and timelined for commencement.

• This is your inaugural meeting as the umbrella organisation of the various sub specialties and I will wish you all well for this event.

• Past 2009, you note improvement in technology with a replacement scheme and capital injection into new diagnostic means mammograms, cat scanners, MRI, portable Xray unit and new laboratory equipment now widely available.

• The manpower constraints have had to be addressed in a  rather circuitous manner.  The de-establishment of GWE positions to create Allied Health Worker positions so our penetration to the periphery/outreach to maritime and rural areas is achieved.

This is being progressed now and the National Employment Centre brings in additional AHW into the fold.

• Much work remains to be addressed in the areas of Community Rehabilitation Workers and Community Health Worker engagement to fulfill the health advocacy, namely “Wellness”.

• Addressing the urgent need for peripheral outreach our subdivisional teams must work in unison to take wellness into the communities as Communicable Diseases are superceded by Non Communicable Diseases (NCD).  Screening advocacy, green prescriptions, Mothers Club/Maternal Child Health advocacy to address, undernutrition, iron defiency, worm infestation, scabies, trachoma are new programs which we must address with greater initiatives.

• Likewise Physical Inactivity and negative social behaviour addressed through our CHW/CRA/Subdivisional/Divisional teams led by our abled booked physiotherapists in whatever form (Zumba, Bhangra, Yoga, Meditation).

The whole team can collectively address the social evils of excessive yaqona, alcohol, cigarette and other substance consumption by youth/adolescents and adults as part of your collective and individual team efforts.

This meeting of minds should encourage, invigorate you to return with ideas, a vision to re-affirm you professional allegiance to work conscientiously in a cleaner work environment.

This year, I have travelled to the North and West and am saddened to see that our facilities still remain unkept, dirty, will boarded items widely strewn in our establishments. 

You must all take a message to your professional colleagues in your work environment.  Clean up the rot in our minds, surroundings and work with diligence.  Work with the “ethos” you entered this profession.

I thank you for this invitation and wish you well in your endeavours.