Breaking with tradition, Tufton pushes for creative approach to health

Health and Wellness Minister, Dr Christopher Tufton, has called on the nation's healthcare managers to think outside the box and develop innovative solutions to the sector's challenges.

"The solution does not have to be normal. It does not have to follow a strict protocol… Indeed, even when the rules say do it a particular way, if you can get an exemption, you must advocate for that exemption," Tufton declared.

He made the remarks at a graduation ceremony for 42 managers who completed a leadership training programme at the University of Technology (UTech), which was held last week at the Jamaica Pegasus in New Kingston.

The minister encouraged the graduates to utilise their newfound knowledge to "make a difference in the public health system".

Tufton also stressed the importance of adaptability, stating that, "While it is absolutely necessary for you to engage in a process of knowledge acquisition around leadership and management and its basic principles, understand that the most important principle that you will leave this process with is how you use the circumstances that are before you to apply the discipline to solve problems."

Tufton acknowledged the importance of protocols, but urged leaders to assess their relevance in addressing current challenges.

"And while the protocol is essential, because you may lose your job if you don't follow it, you have to, as leaders, at some point, determine how relevant that protocol is to satisfying the challenges that you face," he pointed out.

The minister also called on healthcare and medical councils to re-evaluate traditional practices and determine their relevance in today's context.

"Now, I am calling out the nursing councils of the world and the medical councils of the world and saying to them, 'The time has come for us all to engage in a process of leadership and reflection to determine to what extent what we have done, even though it has been tried, tested and proven over the last 50 to 60 years, is still relevant for what we need to do today, and where we need to go in the future'," Tufton indicated.

He underscored the need for institutions like UTech and policymakers to lead this charge, with graduates seeing themselves as "agents of change" in driving transformation.