In October, 2019, ground was broken for the commencement of work to build a $43m US Children’s and Adolescent Hospital; a gift from the People’s Republic of China, set to be the largest facility of its kind in the Caribbean (JIS, 2019).

According to the Jamaica Government Information Service, between 2005 and 2017, Jamaica has been in partnership with countries such as Nigeria, Cuba, and China in order to help support the local healthcare system. For example, in 2005, under a technical cooperation agreement between the Government of Jamaica and the  Republic of Nigeria, the Clarendon health sector received allocation of the services of eight Nigerian nurses (JIS, 2005).

The health sector also benefited from an agreement between the Jamaican and Cuban Ministries of Health aimed at providing improved eye care (JIS, 2012). Over 66,000 Jamaicans received free eye screenings and over 9,000 patients received free eye surgeries under this arrangement. In addition, 45 nurses and 19 specialist doctors from Cuba were deployed throughout the island in 2012 (JIS, 2012). Jamaica extended its country-to-country partnership in eye care in 2017 with its adoption of the Chinese Bright Journey Medical Mission, which was expected to provide hundreds of Jamaicans with free cataract surgery that year (The Gleaner Jamaica, 2018).

COVID-19 and Cuba’s Donation:

As a symbol of the continued support from Cuba during times of crises, on March 21, 2020, 140 Cuban medical professionals arrived in Jamaica to support the island’s national response efforts for COVID-19. The team consisted of 90 specialist nurses, including for critical care, emergency, medical, surgical, and primary care, 46 doctors, including internists and haematologists and 4  therapists.

References:

Jamaica Information Service (JIS). (2005). Clarendon Health Sector Benefiting from the Services of Nigerian Nurses. Available from: https://jis.gov.jm/clarendon-health-sector-benefiting-from-the-services-of-nigerian-nurses/

Jamaica Information Service (JIS). (2012). Jamaica Grateful for Cuba’s Support on Healthcare. Available from: https://jis.gov.jm/jamaica-grateful-for-cubas-support-in-healthcare/

Jamaica Information Service. (2019). Ground Broken for Western Children and Adolescents Hospital. Available from: https://jis.gov.jm/ground-broken-for-western-children-and-adolescents-hospital/

The Gleaner Jamaica. (2018). Hundreds to get free cataract surgery from Chinese medical mission. Available from: https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20180731/hundreds-get-free-cataract-surgery-chinese-medical-mission