Business View Caribbean October/November 2018

28 29 SOUTHERN REGIONAL HEALTH AUTHORITY THE AT A GLANCE THE SOUTHERN REGIONAL HEALTH AUTHORITY WHAT: One of Jamaica’s four regional health authorities WHERE: Mandeville, Jamaica WEBSITE: www.srha.gov.jm A s the topic of healthcare issues and the ongoing debates surrounding how countries choose to handle the medical challenges of its citizens, the Caribbean Region has been relentless in its proactive approach to serve, nurture, and inform the inhabitants of these countries. Through much dialogue, strategic planning, and the trials and tribulations of what has been witnessed as effective leadership, it has been accepted that a healthy population is a must for the sustainable development of a country. One such country is the Commonwealth of Jamaica. With a population of almost three million residents, the social logistics of providing sound health and medical services for the entire country is a job suited only for a goal-driven system root- ed in patience and guided by the steady hand of its governing body. That challenge was answered in 1997, when the National Health Service Act shifted the management of the delivery of health services from the central government and the Ministry of Health to four semi-autonomous bodies, the Regional Health Authorities - one of which is the Southern Regional Health Au- thority. These four authorities were charged with the purpose and task of operating and managing health services within their specific geographical regions. The Southern Regional Health Authority (SRHA) has a vast responsibility for the delivery of health care services to the 600,000 residents of Clarendon, Manchester, and St. Elizabeth THE BUSINESS OF COMPASSION (Left to right) Director of Finance Andrew Sinclair, Direc- tor of Management Information Systems, Rohan Smith, Director of Operations and Maintenance, Mrs. Herschel Ismail, Regional Director Michael Bent, Regional Tech- nical Director, Dr. Vitillius Holder, Procurement Manager, Mrs. Stacy-Ann Edwards; Administration Manager Mrs. Janet Sloley and Director, Human Resource Manage- ment and Industrial Relations, Mrs. Nicolette Thomas Edwards forms the executive group of the SRHA.