Retirees in the Jamaican diaspora have for the past several years been deterred from returning to Jamaica to reside because of persistent crime problems. However, in addition to the crime problem, a more recent deterrent relates to issues affecting Jamaica’s healthcare system. … [Read more...]
290 Cuban Doctors For Jamaica
[Reprinted: Cuban Radio National News, 8-9-2019] Cuba has long been renowned for its medical diplomacy with thousands of its doctors working in medical missions around the world where it is estimated that more than 30,000 Cuban doctors are currently active in 67 countries including Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. Cuban cooperation started out in Jamaica in 1976 with 14 doctors and has … [Read more...]
Nursing Shortage Impacting St. Lucia’s Healthcare System
The English-speaking Caribbean is in the midst of a crisis of shortages of nurses with an average vacancy rate of 42 percent. Low pay, poor career prospects, and lack of education opportunities are among the reasons nurses resign. Many of these nurses look outside the region for job opportunities in the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, and other countries. It is estimated that 21,500 … [Read more...]
Jamaica Recruits Cuban Health Professionals To Fill Public Health Jobs
Cuban doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals have been sharing their expertise at hospitals, clinics and other healthcare facilities in Jamaica since the 1970's. In 2010, Cuba established an Ophthalmology Centre on the campus of St. Joseph's hospital in Kingston to treat Jamaican and other Caribbean nations with eye conditions which has been so successful that the eye care program was … [Read more...]
PAHO: Nurses Critical for Making Universal Health a Success
The migration of nurses originating from the Caribbean to more lucrative opportunities in North America and other destinations has long been a chronic problem for governments in the region and now the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) has released a new report with guidelines which advises countries to invest in nurses specifically to improve their availability, distribution and roles in … [Read more...]