By LARA PICKFORD-GORDON Tuesday, October 13 2009

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NEWCOMERS: Health Minister Jerry Narace greets Health Care professionals Yosleidy Rogue Izefuiesdo, left, and Idania Valdes Rojas, both from Cuba, at ...

Forty-five Cuban health workers and 13 nurses from St Vincent and the Grenadines began two weeks of orientation yesterday at Cascadia Hotel, St Ann’s as the Ministry continues its recruitment drive for the health sector.

Included among the 17 Cuban doctors are specialists in neurosurgery, internal medicine, intensive medical care, and Ear, Nose, and Throat.

The recruitment of medical personnel from Cuba started in 2003 and Narace said there have been 180 so far. Health workers have also been recruited through the United Nations Volunteer programme.

Cabinet has approved the recruitment of 450 nurses and 119 doctors to augment the shortfall in the local health sector. On August 14 last, Cuban doctors and 21 nurses arrived in TT.

Narace said the English Language training will be “rigorous and intensive” with a focus on English Language for medical purposes. He said the most important criteria for the staff being recruited will be “the professional competence of health care providers”.

Narace said the concerns about language proficiency were being addressed with training at the University of the West Indies. He said the course built on existing level of the Cubans’ standard English and sought to boost their confidence in the workplace and orient them with “the mechanics of Trinidadadian Creole and standard English for use on the job.” It included role-play, grammar, comprehension skills, among the areas being covered.

Narace said the first batch was successful and received “induction training” at the Barataria Health Centre, El Socorro, St James District Health Facility, and Port-of-Spain General Hospital. At the end of last month they were assigned to facilities under the Regional Health Authority. Narace commended the high standard of service provided by the Cubans. He said recruitment of foreign doctors and nurses was an interim measure, and training opportunities for locals had been expanded.

Nursing enrollment he added, had been increased to 1,510 and the number of medical interns had been increased from 76 to 176. Scholarships to study medicine have also been given.

A manpower planning framework will be developed to assist the Ministry in identifying the human resource requirements for the health sector and develop strategies to have adequate medical personnel. Narace said the opening of 24 more beds at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex was because of the availability of more staff. He said as the demand for skills is brought to the required level, more services will be provided.

Cuban Ambassador Sergio Oliva Guerra said there were plans to “increase” the number of Cubans. He said, “we will do our best to contribute to the programmes of the government carried on in the health sector, as well as other sectors like agriculture, sports etc”.

He told the Cubans they will learn to love TT and receive support from the public. Guerra said the most important reason for their presence was for the people to receive better health service.