IX.
4EALTH MANPOWER
A.
Introduction
There are various levels of medical practitioners based on function and
responsibilities involving both the medical
and nursing cadres.
Primary
medical care is usually rendered by the health assistant whose training
varies from minimal instruction and continuing education given by a mid level
practitioner to a more formal course, often of approximately
duration.
six months
Approximately 55 health assistants have been trained for duty in
the Marshalls.
The
largest
problem at
present
in terms of manpower
jis the high
attrition due to retirement and lack of a recruitment system to encourage
young people to enter the system.
Incentives to enter the health system are
very low compared to other types of government service.
Within a few years
severe shortages of all types of health manpower are to be experienced unless
something is done soon.
In developing medical manpower programs it is important to establish a
scheme of service to enable every qualified person to advance according to
his
ability,
interest
and
effort.
procedures, work assignments,
All
training
salary scales,
scheme of service or career ladder.
etc.
programs,
licensing
should reflect
such
a
After appropriate periods of service and
work recommendations, selected health assistants could advance to medical
assistants and from there potentially to medical officers.
Likewise nursing
assistants should be able to advance to practical nurses and from there to
graduate nurses and on to become bachelor or master degree nurses many of
whom
would
become
specialists
in
specific
nursing
areas
such
as
administration, education, public health, midwifery, critical care, etc.
In
general
there
are
sufficient
educational
institutions
for
_
the
various health manpower needs in the South Pacific areas such that it should
not be necessary to establish any new schools for manpower training programs.
B.
Administrative
The
administrative
employees will
current
understand
problems
supervisors.
structure
is
the
that
of
must
line
be
clearly
defined
and staff organization.
insufficient
Many of the nursing personnel
authority
of
so
that
all
One of the
Marshallese
report sick or are
late in
returning from vacation, sometimes even months late, yet continue to receive