The Minister of Health & Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, CD, MP has reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to safeguarding the delivery of healthcare services across Jamaica, noting that the Ministry and the Regional Health Authorities are activating a Human Resources for Health (HRH) Surge Plan to ensure continuity of care following the discontinuation of the technical cooperation agreement with Cuba.
Speaking during a virtual press conference on Monday (March 9), Dr. Tufton outlined the Ministry’s plan with coordinated short-, medium- and long-term strategies to manage the transition while minimising any disruption to patient care. He emphasised that the Ministry has been actively planning for this period and is working to maintain critical services across primary and secondary care.
“The Ministry will implement a short-term Human Resources for Health (HRH) Surge Plan designed to stabilise service delivery. This will include revisions to duty rosters, expanded use of overtime and extended work hours, targeted redeployment of staff from low-demand to high-demand areas, increased engagement of sessional personnel, the use of special triage protocols, and strengthened collaboration with private-sector partners for services such as radiotherapy and cataract care,” the Minister said.
Jamaica–Cuba Eye Care Programme
The Minister also advised that the Jamaica–Cuba Eye Care Programme will continue operations until Friday, March 20, 2026. “For the remainder of the programme period, services will focus on scheduled surgical procedures and post-operative care, including retina-related follow-up treatment and monitoring. Patients are encouraged to attend their scheduled follow-up appointments to support optimal recovery and ongoing eye health,” the Minister added.
Bolster Human Resource Capacity
The Ministry is accelerating its recruitment drive as part of a medium-term response to bolster human resource capacity. Key initiatives include the screening and placement of 70 specialist nurses from the Jamaican Diaspora; the onboarding of 48 nurses and 33 doctors trained under the Dr. Barry Wint Scholarship Programme; and the graduation of 100 nurses from the Specialist Nurses Programme this year, who will transition into advanced clinical roles. The Ministry is also progressing international recruitment efforts through Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with Ghana, Nigeria, the Philippines and India.
Long Term Strategy
In the meantime, Cabinet has approved the establishment of a dedicated International Recruitment Unit within the Ministry’s Corporate Services Division. The Unit will serve as the central coordinating mechanism for international recruitment and Diaspora engagement, with a focus on addressing critical workforce shortages in priority areas such as nursing, midwifery, intensive care and other specialised clinical services.
The Minister expressed sincere appreciation to the Government of Cuba and its healthcare professionals for their decades of service and partnership with Jamaica. As the country navigates this transition, Dr. Tufton reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to maintaining stability across the public health system and ensuring that Jamaicans continue to receive timely and quality care.