St Kitts-Nevis CMO expresses need for medical specialists locally

Human resource needs in the health sector of St. Kitts and Nevis were highlighted at the Health and Human Resource Expo at the 30th Inter-Sessional Meeting of CARICOM on February 27.

The Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Hazel Laws, stated that there is work happening at the Joseph N France Hospital, specifically in the laboratory, which requires a need for laboratory technicians whether locally or through the skills free movement in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy.

She said that the development of added health services and new advancements in Health would require a need for more specialists.

“Our major hospital, the Joseph N France Hospital laboratory is on show here and that is important because we are in need of medical technologists and so we are highlighting our need for human resources for health,” said the CMO

She said that specialists are needed for areas like hemodialysis, mental health, oncology, and kidney disease treatment.

She added that the Ministry of Health is developing a programme for mental health and substance abuse because of the increase of persons in the Federation suffering with mental illnesses and abusing legal and illegal substances.

“Within the Ministry of Health at this time, we are in need of some specialists, not general physicians but in particular we are in need of a psychiatrist to help us with our mental health services,” she said, while adding that the ministry is also in need of radiologists and lab technicians.

She further noted that the ministry recently brought in two technicians from Cuba to address the human resource deficiency. She encouraged locals to choose specialized areas of medicine to study so that they can assist with the lack of human resource in the medical field in the Federation.

She also expressed that there is a need for specialist nurses in various professions including oncology and psychiatry.