Health Minister, Horace Dalley yesterday,(November 12) issued a ministerial directive to the boards of management of the regional health authorities and regional directors to ensure timely and appropriate reporting to the ministry of health.

A statement from the Health Ministry says the directive requires the regional authorities to provide status, progress and adverse reports to the minister through the permanent secretary or chief medical officer as required.

The situations to be reported include untoward incidents as described in the service level agreements and the implementation of recommendations from the recent audit of the regional health authorities.

In addition, the regional health authorities are to report on the monitoring of maternity, operating theatre, neonatology units; intensive care units, accident and emergency departments indicators as well as the on-going risk assessment and risk report on those areas.

Meanwhile, the ministry says the chairmen of the board of the regional authorities also signed the new service level agreements for the period 2015-2018 at the ministry’s offices in Kingston.

The agreements are performance contracts between the ministry and the regional authorities and are reviewed and updated annually over the three year life of the contract.

However, the performance of the regional health authorities will be formally reviewed on a quarterly basis through joint meetings on mutually agreed dates.

A recent audit into the health sector revealed damning findings at the country’s four regional authorities.