With the Nurses' Association of Jamaica already on the warpath with Government over wages, trimming the training allocation to nurses may further infuriate the administration of Edith Allwood-Anderson (in this July 2007 file photo). - File
At a time when the country is facing a severe shortage of health professionals, the Government has reduced the money allocated for training.
In the 2007-2008 fiscal year, $322 million was allocated to train health professionals but that has been reduced by approximately seven per cent to $301 million in the latest Estimates of Expenditure.
This comes when free public health care is expected to lead to a sharp increase in the number of persons turning up at health facilities for treatment.
Among the entities hardest hit is the Kingston School of Nursing which has seen its budget cut from $80 million to $58.6 million.
Completed course
Last year, 47 students at the Kingston School of Nursing pursuing a course in basic nursing completed their training, while 15 registered nurses completed the post-basic midwifery programme and a further 23 completed the programme and sat the qualifying examination.
Another 75 students started the registered nursing programme at the school.
For the new fiscal year, the administration is projecting that 43 general nursing students will graduate from the institution, while 59 students will start midwifery training.
The allocation to the Cornwall School of Nursing has also been reduced, with the entity being allocated $24 million, down from $25.5 million the previous year.
There is a slight increase in the money allocated to the dental health auxiliaries which train dental nurses and dental assistants.
But the increase is allocated to utility payments and for other goods and services while the money set aside for the compensation of employees has been reduced.
The money allocated to the doctors of medicine programme has also been cut.
This is a postgraduate programme that qualifies doctors for employment in specified consultant positions such as radiology and psychiatry.
There is no change in the allocation to EXED Community College to cover stipend and costs for nurses trained at that facility.
