More than 50 Cuban nurses expected to return to Jamaica
Key Points(5)
- According to Radio Jamaica and TVJ, more than 50 Cuban nurses are expected to return to Jamaica's public health system to help ease the country's ongoing nursing shortage.
- The expected return comes at a time when Jamaica's health sector continues to face staffing pressures caused by nurse migration, retirements, increased demand for care, and recruitment challenges.
- The additional nurses are expected to support hospitals and health facilities where shortages have affected the delivery of timely and consistent patient care.
- The development also follows months of uncertainty surrounding Jamaica's long-standing medical cooperation arrangement with Cuba.
- Earlier this year, the Government indicated that the previous arrangement had to be reviewed to ensure compliance with Jamaican labor laws and international obligations.
More than 50 Cuban nurses are expected to return to Jamaica's public health system to help ease the country's ongoing nursing shortage.
Jamaica's Minister of Health Chris Tufton made the announcement during an interview on Radio Jamaica.
The expected return comes at a time when Jamaica's health sector continues to face staffing pressures caused by nurse migration, retirements, increased demand for care, and recruitment challenges. The additional nurses are expected to support hospitals and health facilities where shortages have affected the delivery of timely and consistent patient care.
The development comes months after Jamaica's decades-old medical cooperation arrangement with Cuba ended in March. Government officials said the program had to be reviewed to ensure compliance with Jamaican labor laws and international obligations, with concerns centering on salary payment arrangements and the handling of travel documents for Cuban medical personnel.
The program was subsequently discontinued after Jamaica and Cuba failed to agree on the terms and conditions. Following the end of the arrangement, only 40 Cuban nurses remained in Jamaica.
Cuban doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals have served in Jamaica for decades, helping to fill critical gaps in the public health system, particularly in hospitals, clinics, and underserved communities. Their continued support reflects the importance of regional cooperation in addressing healthcare challenges across the Caribbean.
Tufton said the government has also intensified its international recruitment efforts to address the critical nursing shortage. Jamaica has conducted interviews with prospective nurses from Ghana and members of the diaspora, and discussions are underway with the Medical Council regarding approvals for Ghanaian recruits.
The minister also disclosed that the government has concluded memoranda of understanding with Nigeria and India and is expecting a technical delegation from the Philippines next month.
As Jamaica continues to strengthen key national systems, the expected return of more than 50 Cuban nurses aligns with the country's broader goal of building resilience.
