By Kimone Witter
Health and Wellness Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton says progress has been made in the push to give advanced nurses prescriptive rights.
Dr. Tufton says he now has a report that he will take to Cabinet for a decision.
Advanced nurse practitioners have for years been lobbying for the right to issue certain prescriptions.
A committee headed by Professor Denise Eldermire Shearer, which also included the Medical Council of Jamaica, was appointed to assess the level of support for the idea.
After gathering data from doctors and nurses on the issue, Dr. Tufton said the committee has found there is general acceptance for the proposal.
The Health Minister said with the report now complete, he is hopeful that the process will be formalised before year-end.
Dr. Tufton noted that some medical doctors are against nurses writing prescriptions, but he said the practice is common in other jurisdictions and has been working well.
In fact, he said this arrangement has already been happening informally in Jamaica, especially in some rural areas, and the practice should be formalised.
"The key is to ensure that the training matches the standards around the limitations of prescriptive rights and they will become a complement - not a replacement - but a complement to doctors," he suggested.
The Health Minister said he has extended the life of the Professor Eldemire Shearer-led committee.
He said the committee will help to coordinate the stages in the implementation schedule to grant nurses prescriptive rights.
Dr. Tufton noted that legislative changes will be part of the process to facilitate these rights to advanced nurses.
