Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan has welcomed 70 Cuban doctors and nurses to T&T. This was done during the opening session of an orientation programme for health professionals from Cuba. The event was held at Crowne Plaza Hotel, Port-of-Spain. A statement from the Ministry of Health yesterday afternoon said: "This cohort of Cuban medical professionals has been granted two-year contracts for employment within the public health sector."
The group included 14 doctors and 56 nurses. The 14 doctors comprised 11 general practice physicians who will serve in the public health system's primary care facilities and one ENT specialist, one ephrologist and one paediatrician who would serve within the hospital system. The nurses' specialties, the statement said, ranged from intensive care nursing to neonatal and community nursing.
The release said the recruitment of foreign professionals formed part of the ministry's overall strategy to address the shortage of doctors and nurses within the health system in the short to medium term. Attracting, training and recruitment of local human resource to fill vacancies within the sector remains the ultimate goal for filling the employment gap in the long term.
In the interim, however, further retention of foreign healthcare professionals remains a priority given the significant shortage of health professionals in the public health sector. Khan, in his address, expressed satisfaction with the quality of service delivered by Cuban health professionals.
The statement quoted him as saying: "The population of Trinidad and Tobago is very happy to have the Cuban professionals. The work ethic of the Cuban professionals is something that I ask our professionals to emulate." To date, 115 healthcare professionals comprising 84 nurses and 31 medical officers have been recruited from Cuba.