At the request of the Jamaican Ministry of Health and Wellness, additional Cuban doctors are on their way to the Island to assist in providing healthcare services. Since 1976, more than 200 Cuban medical staff have been assisting in Jamaica.
In 1976, Cuban medical assistance began with only 14 Cuban doctors on the Island.
The Cuban medical mission in Jamaica is headed by José Armando Afronte, who told the Cuban media that 290 Cuban health professionals are on their way to the Island. Jamaica has a critical shortage of healthcare providers.
Health care workers such as doctors, nurses, and imaging technologists will be flying to Jamaica.
Eighteen of these doctors are a part of the Operación Milagro (Miracle Mission) program which provides free medical treatment for people with eye problems. More than 16,000 operations were carried out that allowed vision improvement or the restoration of eye sight to patients.
Since 1976, Cuba’s medical internationalism program has provided 1,447,015 consultations – 261,350 of those were for children, performed 30,761 surgeries, and given 73,331 vaccinations against disease to Jamaican patients.
