Jamaica’s Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, is currently in the Philippines advancing a bilateral agreement aimed at strengthening Jamaica’s health workforce through training and international cooperation.
Dr. Tufton’s visit follows a January trip to Jamaica by Dr. Teodoro Herbosa, Secretary of Health for the Philippines, during which the two nations signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on health human resources development.
“Since arriving in the Philippines, we have had a series of bilateral discussions involving my team and his [Secretary Herbosa’s] to work out the details of a training programme between the two countries for specialist nurses,” Dr. Tufton said.
“The idea is to have Jamaican specialist nurses trained remotely and then to have our trainees coming on rotation to hospitals here [in the Philippines],” he added.
The discussions also include the possibility of Filipino healthcare professionals working in Jamaica, along with faculty members from the Philippines conducting training on the island.
“We are also working through possibilities for healthcare workers from the Philippines coming to work in Jamaica as well as to have faculty members from the Philippines do training in Jamaica,” Tufton noted.
The MoU was formally signed on January 23, 2025, at The Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, on the second day of the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ inaugural Health & Wellness Career Expo and Employment Fair, held in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information. Secretary Herbosa attended the event’s opening ceremony a day earlier.
“By pooling our expertise and resources, we can offer better training and ensure an equitable distribution of healthcare professionals,” Dr. Tufton said during the signing.
The agreement outlines cooperation through faculty and trainer exchanges, the training and certification of health professionals, and knowledge sharing in areas such as biotechnology, medical equipment, epidemiology, and healthcare management. It also provides for exchange visits involving specialist nurses and other health professionals.
This partnership comes amid ongoing struggles in Jamaica and other small island developing states to retain healthcare workers, particularly nurses, who are often recruited by employers in more developed countries. The collaboration aims to address these challenges by expanding training opportunities and enhancing workforce stability.
