KINGSTON, Jamaica- Jamaica has entered into a partnership with the Philippines, which will provide for greater collaboration between the countries in addressing human resources challenges in healthcare.

Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton and Secretary of Public Health in the Philippines, Dr Teodoro J Herbosa, signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on health cooperation at The Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston on Thursday.

The agreement includes faculty or trainer exchanges; training and certification of health professionals; capacity-building and knowledge sharing in biotechnology, medical equipment, epidemiology and healthcare management; and exchange visits for specialist nurses and other professionals.

Dr Tufton said that the agreement will provide for cooperation on knowledge and resource sharing and strategising to build a resilient and robust health workforce that is capable of addressing both present and future health needs.

“By pooling our expertise and resources, we can offer better training and ensure an equitable distribution of healthcare professionals,” he noted.

Providing details on the training exchange, he said it includes a specialised nurse training programme, with personnel travelling to the Philippines to practise in a hospital for a few months.

“It has been said, but I will say it for emphasis, the Philippines is recognised as a major trainer, supplier of healthcare workers with significant infrastructure and capacity to train professionals for excellent delivery of healthcare,” Dr Tufton noted.

The Philippines Secretary of Public Health said the partnership has the potential to create tangible and lasting benefits for generations to come.

He said his country looks forward to working closely with Jamaica to turn the “vision of this agreement into reality”.

The immediate next step, he said, will be the organisation of a joint technical working group to draft the plan of action, and also send, immediately, a number of health workers to Jamaica from the Philippines.

“We are committed to implementing the initiatives outlined in this MOU and achieving meaningful results that will resonate with the lives of every Filipino and Jamaican. Again, thank you for this fruitful visit,” Dr Herbosa said.

-JIS