Browne says Ghanaian nurses hired to protect health system

Prime Minister Gaston Browne says the government’s decision to recruit nurses from Ghana was a strategic move to safeguard Antigua and Barbuda’s healthcare system amid growing uncertainty surrounding the future of Cuban medical brigades in the Caribbean.

Speaking on Pointe FM’s Browne and Browne Show on Saturday, Browne said the United States has taken an increasingly hostile position toward Cuba’s overseas medical programme, prompting the government to diversify its healthcare workforce as a precaution.

“The United States evidently is very hostile against the Cuban brigade,” Browne said. “And we needed to at least manage that risk and to mitigate it.”

He stressed that the move was not intended to replace Cuban nurses and doctors, but to ensure continuity of care in the event of sudden disruptions.

“The best way to mitigate it, just in case we have to get rid of all of the Cuban nurses and doctors suddenly, is to get in some professionals from Ghana,” Browne said.

The prime minister said negotiations with Ghana began several months ago and that the country is expected to receive a significant number of nurses in the near term.

“So we went to Ghana and negotiated,” Browne said. “Within a matter of a week, week and a half, we will have about 115 Ghanaian nurses coming to Antigua.”

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