Jamaica’s Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. Christopher Tufton, has reaffirmed the Jamaican government’s commitment to its long-standing partnership with Cuba, describing the collaboration as one that continues to yield significant benefits for the country’s healthcare system.
“I want to just say very clearly that we value the partnership with Cuba. We value their contribution; we currently have 88 Cuban doctors and 199 nurses here. I want to just recognise the initiatives and their efforts and, hopefully, we will continue to build on that,” Dr. Tufton said.
Speaking during his contribution to the 2025/26 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, June 10, Dr. Tufton emphasized the importance of continued international collaboration to address the challenges posed by a highly mobile global health workforce.
“The future of HR (human resources) in health will require more collaborations, however, using technology and friendships to fill the gaps that have been and are being created from a highly mobile labour force. We have to look wider, think deeper and adjust our traditional thinking around who and how to get more skills in healthcare,” he added.
In line with this approach, the Ministry of Health and Wellness has begun exploring long-term training and clinical exchange partnerships with India, the Philippines, and Nigeria. These countries, Dr. Tufton said, were chosen based on existing diplomatic ties, language compatibility, alignment in training methods and technology, and previous positive experiences with healthcare professionals from these nations.
“Earlier this year, I visited India and the Philippines. We had excellent discussions and there is a follow-up in terms of trying to actualise these relationships for the benefit of training. Where training is not sufficient and we have gaps and our Jamaicans need help, and we can establish a clinical exchange… we are going to have to do the same thing as we do with the Cubans,” he said.
The Minister’s remarks underscore the government’s focus on strengthening the country’s healthcare system by leveraging both traditional alliances and new global partnerships.
