HEALTH Minister Fenton Ferguson has described yesterday’s attack on two Cuban nurses assigned to the Buff Bay Community Hospital as a “disgusting and vicious act undertaken by a coward”.

The nurses who were brutally attacked and injured by a gunman while at their residence yesterday morning, were said to in stable condition in hospital.

A group of Buff Bay residents took to the streets early yesterday to protest against the attack on the nurses. The protesters, during the rain, walked to the hospital after being informed that that police had taken the suspect in the attack to the facility for treatment. They were, however, not not allowed inside the building.

“… To enter the residence of two females and attack them in that manner is cowardly and unforgivable, especialy since they have committed themselves to service to the people of that community. It is time that we start thinking about the implications that these acts can have on our country as a whole and stand up against this type of behaviour,” a Ministry of Health release quoted Health Minister Dr Fenton Ferguson, as saying.

“We will do everything we can to bring the person to justice and I urge the residents of Buff Bay and anyone else who may have information to share it with the police immediately. None of us is immune to this kind of action and so we have to support each other and send a strong message to criminals,” said Ferguson. “We cannot allow persons to disrupt services to others and prevent our health workers from carrying out their duties in a safe and comfortable atmosphere,” he added.

Member of Parliament Daryl Vaz, who also condemned the attack, said in a release that he hoped that the incident would not tarnish or jeopardise in any way the various health programmes between Jamaica and Cuba as Jamaica has benefited tremendously in this bilateral arrangement over several decades.

At the same time, he called on the Ministry of Health to arrange the necessary counselling to minimise any long-term psychological effects on the nurses.