KINGSTON, Jamaica — Fifteen neonatal nurses from the Victoria Jubilee Hospital have received additional training under the Neo-Natal Nurses Essential Training and Skills Programme.

The programme was spearheaded by the Issa Trust Foundation which led a medical mission to Jamaica from February 28 to March 14.

The mission was headed by Dr Naveed Hussain, a professor of paediatrics at the University of Connecticut and a neonatologist at Connecticut Children’s Hospital. He was supported by neonatal nurse practitioner Sheron Wagner from Dallas, and Dr Samantha Walker from the Victoria Jubilee Hospital. Jamaica’s South-East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) also played a vital role in the mission.

Through the training of the nurses, the mission helped many sick and premature newborns in Jamaica. Neonatal nurses are needed to give the special care that newborns require. The mission focused on the Victoria Jubilee Hospital in Kingston, which is the largest maternity hospital in the English-speaking Caribbean.

Members of the medical mission to train neonatal nurses at Victoria Jubilee Hospital share a moment with staff. (Photo contributed)

“We actually started the training online in November of 2024 via Zoom and we are here for hands-on training with a site visit,” Dr Hussain said.

“At the end of the training, the nurses who met the requirements of 75 per cent attendance and 90 per cent competence were awarded certificates.

“We also conducted the Helping Babies Breathe Programme which helps nurses to take care of babies in the first minute of life where vital oxygen is needed,” he added.

The mission was endorsed by Speaker of the House of Representatives, Juliet Holness, who said, “The Issa Trust Foundation has continued to make high-quality health care available to our most vulnerable and underserved Jamaicans, and for this, they must be applauded. I have continued to be impressed by their dedication to the cause, from their annual medical missions on the north coast to leading in creating a state-of-the-art neonatal facility at the St Ann’s Bay Hospital, to now facilitating training of neonatal nurses at Victoria Jubilee Hospital. Organisations like the Issa Trust Foundation continue to inspire hope and prove to be invaluable partners, investing in our future by securing the health of our children.”