Nearly 3,000 people were screened for the 600-plus available job vacancies at the recent Health & Wellness career expo & employment fair put on by the Ministry of Health & Wellness.

The Ministry says in total, almost 10,000 Jamaicans participated in the event, as some 6,694 students and other members of the public visited the displays at the two-day event.

The career expo & employment fair forms a part of the response to prevailing human resource challenges in the health sector.

These include the limited availability of professionals for some specialist areas, migration, and competition from overseas recruiters.

Portfolio Minister Dr. Chris Tufton said the event achieved what was intended, with thousands of participants benefiting from insights into various career options in the health sector.

The participants also took advantage of the opportunity to vie for the current vacancies in the sector.

A preliminary count indicates that 2,907 people were screened for vacancies.

Dr. Tufton said the initiative helped to progress Jamaica’s journey to achieving goal four of the Vision for Health 2030 strategic plan for health: which is ‘ensuring human resources for health in sufficient number and competencies.’

The career expo and employment fair coincided with the visit of Dr. Teodoro Herbosa, the Secretary of Health for the Philippines.

His visit yielded a memorandum of understanding between the two countries that provides for faculty exchanges, as well as specialist training and knowledge and experience sharing in the areas of biotechnology, epidemiology, and healthcare management, among others.