KINGSTON, Jamaica. Thursday, April 10, 2025: Jamaica is advancing discussions with India for a strategic partnership to improve healthcare delivery through attention to the development of human resources and the provision of affordable drugs.
The Minister of Health & Wellness for Jamaica, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, MP, is currently in India with a team from the Ministry, including Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie, CD, where they are engaged in talks with Indian officials.
“We have discussed a range of things, including the completion of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Discussions started between Prime Minister (Shri Narendra) Modi and Prime Minister (Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew) Holness here in India first and, later on, in the Caribbean,” Minister Tufton said, speaking from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in India on Wednesday, April 9.
“The MoU will see a number of issues around health that we will collaborate on, including drugs and access to drugs… but also, very importantly, around human resource development and the collaboration around training – training for our healthcare workers in specialised areas, and our nurses in particularly,” he added.
According to the Minister, the partnership with India is anticipated to yield solutions to the prevailing problems of human resources for health on the island.
“We lose a lot of our healthcare workers, including our nurses, to other markets and we are trying to expand, but we are short on faculty and clinical rotation space. It (our collaboration with India) will mean healthcare workers coming here (to India) for clinical rotation and also training of trainers,” Dr. Tufton said.
“It will also mean, where we have immediate gaps, accessing from workers here in India, with workers from India taking up some of the positions on a temporary basis while we expand the local healthcare workforce,” the Minister added.
The Jamaica delegation has also met with the All India Institute of Medical Science, New Delhi, the leading medical school in India; and have had discussions around exploring training for both nurses and doctors, including faculty and student exchanges.
The delegation has also visited the Artemis Hospital and Naraya Superspecialty Hospital, also to explore training and collaboration opportunities.