Minister of Health & Wellness, Christopher Tufton, CD, MP, has announced the establishment of a dedicated International Recruitment Unit (IRU) within the Ministry’s Corporate Services Division, as part of the Ministry’s broader Human Resources for Health (HRH) Stabilisation Strategy.

The announcement was made during the Minister’s Sectoral Presentation in Parliament a short while ago, as he outlined ongoing efforts to strengthen and modernise Jamaica’s healthcare workforce and training systems.

The newly established IRU will serve as the central coordinating hub for all international recruitment initiatives, including recruitment undertaken through bilateral cooperation arrangements and engagement with members of the Jamaican diaspora.

The Unit will focus on addressing critical workforce shortages across the health sector, particularly in specialised areas such as nursing, midwifery, intensive care, and other priority clinical disciplines. In addition to recruitment activities, the IRU will assist in coordinating partnerships for training and professional development involving cross-border agreements and international collaboration.

Minister Tufton noted that the Ministry is also taking strategic steps to expand local training capacity to support long-term workforce sustainability.

“We are not only recruiting internationally to fill urgent gaps, but we are simultaneously strengthening our local training infrastructure to ensure Jamaica can produce and retain more highly skilled healthcare professionals,” the Minister stated.

As part of these efforts, the Ministry will be upgrading its in-house training facilities, including the Kingston School of Nursing and its associated accommodation facilities. The upgrades are intended to enhance the learning environment and increase the institution’s ability to accommodate more students and programmes.

The Ministry also intends to expand course offerings utilising faculty members based in Jamaica, as well as remote lecturers and specialists overseas. This will be complemented by increased clinical rotation opportunities made possible through the expansion and modernization of hospitals across the island.

The Minister emphasised that these initiatives form part of a comprehensive strategy to build resilience within Jamaica’s healthcare system, improve service delivery, and ensure the country is equipped with the skilled professionals needed to meet growing healthcare demands.