July 31, 2006
Venezuelan ministers approve integrated health training program

(Ministry of Health Press Office, published in Ven-Global News) - "This program will train people in associate careers that are important for the Venezuelan public health system's well functioning. 200 high school graduates comprise the first group of students.

The Venezuelan Minister of Health, Francisco Armada, and the Minister of Education and Sports, Aristóbulo Istúriz, participated in the opening class of the Integrated Health Training Program, aimed at training high school graduates and associate students. This program will be developed at the Latin American Children's Heart Hospital 'Dr. Gilberto Rodríguez Ochoa.'

Minister Armada explained that the program will train people in associate careers for the Venezuelan public health system's well functioning. 2000 high school graduates comprise the first trained group. They will study a year to become medical technicians in hospitals.

'This will strengthen our workers proficiency as the Barrio Adentro II Program and the Children Heart Hospital health system continues expanding. We are going through an expansion process and these high school graduates' training as medical technicians is a way of improving and boosting all the services we provide,' said the Venezuelan minister of health.

On the other hand, the Venezuelan minister of education stressed that the joint work carried out by both ministries will make possible to rely on a specialized, responsible, socially committed staff that will work in all the hospital areas and will join the different care levels of Barrio Adentro Program.

Istúriz said that this staff will first work in the Children's Heart Hospital. At the same time, they are opening this Integrated Health career in high schools 'in order to incorporate associate graduates into Barrio Adentro Program and Integrated Diagnosis Centers . This agreement goes beyond hospitals. The ministries of health and education expect to train health staffs, and technical staffs in high schools and technical schools.

Both ministries move forward in the construction of a National Public Health System by looking at every detail and going beyond infrastructure and equipments. Minister Armada said that it is necessary to train human resources to guarantee a change regarding medical care based on principles such as justice and equality".