Jamaica-Cuba Signed Cooperation Pact

Cuba is once again coming to help Jamaica in its health sector which has been receiving a bad rap in providing adequate healthcare for the Jamaican people.

The country has recently signed two bilateral partnership agreements with the Cuban government.

The agreements signed cover:

1) Technical Cooperation Agreement between the Ministry of Public Health of the Republic of Cuba and the Ministry of Health of Jamaica.

2) Agreement on Cooperation between Cuba and Jamaica for the functioning of an Ophthalmology Centre.

At the signing ceremony, Jamaica’s Health Minister Horace Dalley touted the tremendous amount of benefits Jamaicans have gained over the forty-three years of diplomatic relations with Cuba

“Cuba has never refused to help us. Many Jamaicans have benefitted especially from the Jamaica/Cuba Eye care programme,” the Minister said.

Cuban health workers will continue to come to Jamaica and play an integral role in the partnership agreement.

Today, there are over a hundred Cuban health workers working in Jamaica. Some of them are healthcare professional such as doctors, nurses, and technologists.

Many of them also work under the Eye Care partnership program.

Since 2009, Jamaica has had a Bilateral Agreement of Cooperation for the establishment of a Centre of Excellence.

That agreement has facilitated the establishment of Jamaica/Cuba Eye Care Centre which was officially opened in January 2010.

Since its inception, the Ophthalmology Centre has received in excess of 78,000 visits.

More than 24,000 people have been screened and more than 9,842 procedures done, all in Jamaica.

“There has been a concerted effort by both the Cuban and Jamaican Governments to ensure that our people get the best health care. Our partnership in health with Cuba over the years has been extremely beneficial and we look forward to continuing to work with the Government and people of Cuba in the future,” Dalley declared.