Jamaica expecting more than 50 Cuban nurses as Health Ministry expands overseas recruitment

Jamaica is expecting the arrival of more than 50 Cuban nurses as the Government tries to ease staffing pressure in the public health sector, according to Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton.

Tufton told TVJ News that the return should happen soon, adding that the local system was strained after Cuban medical workers, including nurses, left when the bilateral arrangement ended. He said about 40 of those workers later accepted individual contracts with the Jamaican Government.

The minister said another group of Cuban nurses who had returned home later applied for work permits and those approvals have already been granted. He indicated that this should bring some relief to the public health service, though he did not give an exact figure beyond saying the number was believed to be above 50.

Tufton also said Jamaica has set up an international recruitment unit focused on bringing in health-care workers from overseas. As part of that effort, he said he travelled to Ghana and that members of his team later returned there to conduct interviews. Those talks, he said, produced recommendations for a number of Ghanaian nurses to come to Jamaica, and discussions are now taking place with the Medical Council to complete the approval process.

In addition, the minister said interviews were held with members of the diaspora and that process has now moved to its final stage. He also disclosed that Jamaica has signed memoranda of understanding with Nigeria and India.

Tufton said a technical team from the Philippines is expected in Jamaica in about a month as the country continues to look overseas to fill gaps in the health sector. He said he expects the public health system to become more multicultural in the years ahead, while maintaining opportunities for Jamaicans to train and enter the profession.

He pointed to the Baron scholarship programme as one avenue through which local workers are being prepared, adding that some of those trainees are now expected to join the system. Even with the overseas push, Tufton said strong human resource management will remain essential for the health service to function effectively.