Jamaican Nurses to Participate in Training Programmes in China and United Kingdom

A cohort of 18 nurses and five educators/supervisors will depart for the People’s Republic of China later this month to participate in a Nurses Training Exchange Programme.

Another group is slated to travel to the United Kingdom (UK) to participate in a training programme in that country early next year.

This was disclosed by Health Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, during his 2018/19 Sectoral Debate presentation in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (June 5).

Dr. Tufton said both arrangements resulted from bilateral agreements between the Governments of Jamaica and the partner countries.

He indicated that these will enable Jamaican nurses to access hospitals in both countries, to complete their clinical rotation after concluding didactic classroom training locally.

The Minister said the UK programme will also include faculty exchanges to strengthen nursing trainers locally.

Dr. Tufton said this will, in the first instance, increase the number of critical-care nurses being trained by 100 per cent.

“This is a novel concept being hailed as an innovative pilot that could be mainstreamed by other countries, if it works. It has involved significant negotiations between the countries, working out details related to nursing councils and training standards, immigration, teaching institutions and health institutions,” he told the House.

Dr. Tufton said the Government of Jamaica is thankful for the support of their counterparts in the UK and China, as well as local stakeholders “for exercising creativity and flexibility to allow this pragmatic out-of-the-box but necessary thinking to work”.