200 Cuban health professionals continue working in Jamaica
Key Points(5)
- Two hundred Cuban health professionals are currently serving in Jamaica’s public health system under individual employment contracts governed by Jamaican law, following the end of the previous government-to-government arrangement.
- Minister of Health and Wellness Christopher Tufton provided the update while contributing to the Parliamentary Motion on the Economic and Humanitarian Situation in Cuba, which was approved by the House of Representatives on Oct.
- The professionals, including doctors, nurses and other specialists, are distributed across Jamaica’s Regional Health Authorities and the University Hospital of the West Indies.
- Tufton said the new arrangement has allowed Cuban health professionals to continue contributing to Jamaica’s healthcare system after the previous bilateral agreements expired in February 2023.
- He explained that the government had sought to renew the cooperation under terms consistent with Jamaican law and international labor conventions, including requirements for professionals to receive their salaries directly and retain possession of their own travel documents.
Two hundred Cuban health professionals are currently serving in Jamaica’s public health system under individual employment contracts governed by Jamaican law, following the end of the previous government-to-government arrangement.
Minister of Health and Wellness Christopher Tufton provided the update while contributing to the Parliamentary Motion on the Economic and Humanitarian Situation in Cuba, which was approved by the House of Representatives on Oct. 27.
The professionals, including doctors, nurses and other specialists, are distributed across Jamaica’s Regional Health Authorities and the University Hospital of the West Indies.
Tufton said the new arrangement has allowed Cuban health professionals to continue contributing to Jamaica’s healthcare system after the previous bilateral agreements expired in February 2023.
He explained that the government had sought to renew the cooperation under terms consistent with Jamaican law and international labor conventions, including requirements for professionals to receive their salaries directly and retain possession of their own travel documents.
However, when an agreement could not be reached on those terms, the government ended the government-to-government arrangement in March while expressing its intention to retain Cuban professionals through individual employment contracts.
Of the 278 Cuban health professionals serving in Jamaica at the time, 43 opted to remain under the new arrangements. Another 57 doctors, nurses and other professionals who had initially returned to Cuba have since come back to Jamaica under the same contractual terms.
Tufton said the government remains open to others who wish to return and contribute to the country's healthcare services.
He also emphasized that the change in employment arrangements does not diminish the longstanding relationship between Jamaica and Cuba.
"When we were in distress as a people, in times of shortage, in the aftermath of disasters, in the dark days of the pandemic, Cuba rose to the occasion. Through the deployment of its healthcare professionals, Cuba stood with Jamaica when we needed it most," he said.
Tufton also expressed Jamaica's support for humanitarian assistance to Cuba, citing the country's ongoing challenges with access to medicines, medical supplies, food and energy.
"Today, while we adjust our relationships in keeping with our laws, Jamaica also supports humanitarian assistance to the Cuban people. Their suffering has been long and painful and it weighs heavily on ordinary families," he said.
He added that the government remains committed to preserving the relationship between the two countries through friendship and mutual respect.
