The Ministry of Health and Wellness has issued a fresh appeal to specialist nurses in the Jamaican diaspora to return home and work in the public health system, as the country continues to grapple with long-standing shortages of skilled medical personnel.
The call was made public this week through a flyer shared by Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton on social media, inviting “suitably qualified specialist nurses” living overseas to consider employment in Jamaica’s public health sector. In his post on X, Tufton urged nurses abroad to respond, describing the appeal as a direct request for their expertise to help strengthen the local health system.
According to the ministry, the recruitment drive targets nurses with training and experience in critical and intensive care, operating theatre services, oncology, pediatrics and neonatology, accident and emergency, nephrology and renal dialysis, ophthalmology, and mental health. Applicants must be registered nurses with specialist training in their respective fields.
The ministry says returning nurses will be offered a competitive salary package, relocation assistance, uniform, meal and taxi allowances, and access to training opportunities. Applications are to be submitted by February 13, 2026.
Specialist Nurses we need you back home!!!
Interested? Send your resume to [email protected] or contact below. pic.twitter.com/lvOxEEWg3k— Dr. Chris Tufton (@christufton) January 8, 2026
Jamaica’s appeal to diaspora nurses comes at a time when the health sector continues to struggle with long-standing workforce gaps. Officials and healthcare advocates have repeatedly pointed to the migration of nurses — especially those with specialist training — as a key factor straining public services.
Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton has acknowledged the problem publicly on several occasions. In July 2025, he noted that Jamaica loses, on average, about 500 specialist nurses to migration each year, and highlighted the need for both recruitment from abroad and stronger local training to sustain public health staffing levels.
Shortages extend beyond specialist roles. In 2024, data from the Nursing Council of Jamaica showed more than 1,140 verification requests from foreign entities for Jamaican nursing licences, the majority from registered nurses seeking to work overseas — representing nearly a quarter of the current nursing cadre.
The broader pattern of migration has deep roots. Studies indicate that Jamaican nurses have emigrated in significant numbers for decades, driven largely by stronger salaries, better working conditions, and recruitment opportunities in wealthier countries such as the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. By one estimate, about two-thirds of Jamaica’s nurses had emigrated, contributing to chronic staffing gaps and conditions where health facilities face vacancy rates that can exceed 40 per cent.
The gap is especially acute in specialist areas such as critical care, emergency and neonatology, where skilled practitioners are in high demand both locally and abroad. Speaking at a Caribbean health ministers meeting in 2025, Tufton warned that shortages of registered and specialist nurses and midwives are undermining service delivery and hampering training capacity itself.
These pressures have been exacerbated by global demand during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, health educators in Jamaica suggested that as much as 85 per cent of trained nurses eventually sought work overseas, a trend the pandemic only intensified as international healthcare systems competed for limited personnel.
Officials say that while training new nurses remains a priority, migration will continue to shape staffing realities — making targeted diaspora recruitment and international partnerships part of a broader strategy to stabilize the system.
The latest appeal signals a renewed effort by the Ministry of Health to tap into the diaspora as part of a broader strategy to stabilize and strengthen the health system. It also reflects ongoing policy discussions about how best to balance international labor mobility with Jamaica’s domestic healthcare needs.
