1,300 community health assistants to be hired – Firstlook

1,300 community health assistants will be hired

The Ministry of Health and Wellness will hire an additional 1,300 Community Health Assistants (CHAs) as part of a strategic framework to prepare the population to coexist with the coronavirus (COVID-19).
The ministry has received approval from the Ministry of Finance and Public Service and the Regional Health Authorities (RHAs) have started the recruitment process.
Minister of Health and Wellness Dr. Christopher Tufton said the new officers will augment the existing CHA force of about 2,300, bringing the total number of CHAs islandwide to about 3,900.
“In our new normal, approaches such as active on-site surveillance, the use of contact tracing, community education and health messaging, and monitoring of those in quarantine will be important components of the public health response,” Dr Tufton said in a statement to the House of Representatives on Tuesday (May 19).
“The addition of these officers will therefore allow the government to continue its efforts in early detection and enhance our ability to contain and manage infections once they are detected,” he noted.
Dr Tufton told the House this “new normal” for public health must be underpinned by three strategic objectives.
These goals are to protect the population, especially vulnerable groups, from adverse health outcomes; to ensure the effective participation of individuals in society; and to create an environment in which citizens can engage in meaningful social activities that enrich their lives and the lives of all those with whom they interact.
“Prioritising public health and reintroducing a ‘everyone counts’ policy approach within this new strategic framework must become part of the way we live and operate now,” Dr Tufton said.

He noted that the ministry has already started building the infrastructure to enable it to function in the “new normal”.
He said the approach, based on the International Health Regulations for public health systems, would involve strengthening structures in eight areas – legislation and policy, coordination, surveillance, points of entry, laboratories, human resources, preparedness and response of health facilities, risk communication and community engagement.
“In each area, the Department of Health and Wellness will work with key stakeholders to deliver on the strategic mandate I have just outlined; ensuring everyone is accounted for,” Dr Tufton said.
He noted that the cabinet had approved working with the Ministry of Justice “to strengthen our public health laws, ensure better protection of the population and safeguard individual rights in crisis situations.”