First batch starts arriving next month

Durrant Pate/Contributor

Jamaica is far advanced in the recruitment of medical professionals from the African country of Ghana, as both countries have signed a bilateral labour agreement to this effect.

The agreement will facilitate the ethical recruitment and deployment of Ghanaian health professionals to Jamaica. A Jamaican delegation led by Health and Wellness Minister, Dr. Christopher Tufton and his Permanent Secretary, Errol Green, is now in Ghana to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) formalising the recruitment. 

Ghana’s Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh discloses that the process has already undergone all technical, legal, and diplomatic processes and is awaiting formal signing. Speaking during a meeting with the Jamaican Health delegation yesterday, Minister Akandoh announced that the first batch of Ghanaian health professionals is expected to depart for Jamaica next month, emphasising that the partnership would create employment opportunities, promote skills exchange, and strengthen healthcare systems in both countries.

The Ghanian Health Minister stressed that the arrangement would be guided by internationally accepted ethical recruitment principles while prioritising the welfare and professional development of health workers. Minister Akandoh directed officials at his ministry to begin implementation processes immediately after the MOU signing.

Jamaica’s healthcare inequalities and workforce shortages 

For his part, Minister Tufton described the agreement as a major 

step toward addressing global healthcare inequalities and workforce shortages through South-South cooperation. He said the partnership demonstrates how both countries can collaborate to enhance healthcare access, share expertise, and strengthen their health systems for the benefit of their people.

Beyond workforce mobility, Ghana and Jamaica are also exploring collaboration in specialist medical training, public health, pharmaceutical cooperation, digital health systems, plant medicine research, and health emergency preparedness.

As part of the visit, the Jamaican delegation is today touring selected health facilities and regulatory institutions in the Greater Accra, Eastern, and Central Regions to deepen institutional partnerships and gain further insight into Ghana’s healthcare delivery systems.