• Submitted by: manso
• International
• 01 / 14 / 2011

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Thursday, January 13, 2011. THIRTY-five nurses arrived from Cuba last evening to begin working in the public health sector in Jamaica. The nurses will be immediately deployed to facilities across all four health regions.

Minister of Health Rudyard Spencer said the batch represents a percentage of the total of 51 nurses who were recruited during a trip to Cuba by health ministry officials last June.

The remaining nurses are expected to arrive in the island in three months.

“The government of Jamaica entered into a bilateral agreement with the government of Cuba to train and supply critical health workers for the local sector. We signed two agreements in July 2009, one which led to the development of the Eye Care Centre located at St Joseph’s Hospital, and the other which would see health specialists from Cuba supporting our public health care system,” Spencer said.

The 35 nurses include operating theatre nurses, and nurses in ophthalmology, paediatrics, neonatal, intensive care, and 15 for primary health care.

“Going forward we are interested in attracting other health workers from Cuba including physicians, biomedical engineers, biomedical technicians other technicians such as A/C refrigeration and electro mechanical, para medicals, nurse educators, dental mechanical engineers and dental nurses,” Spencer said.

The current bilateral agreement comes to an end in July.

Source: /www.jamaicaobserver.com/