By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

HEALTH and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville officially welcomed 50 Cuban nurses into the public healthcare system.

He said there are some specialised nurses in the group.

“In this particular group, I believe there’s 21 emergency room nurses,” he said. “There’s some for maternal and child health and there’s some for the Department of Public Health.”

He added: “In Cuba, all of these nurses are trained to be in a pandemic. It’s part of their training.”

Some 300 nurses were interviewed, but 50 were accepted for service in The Bahamas.

When addressing the Cuban nurses at a welcome ceremony at SuperClubs Breezes on Friday, Dr Darville thanked them and said he hoped they would provide excellent work. He told the nurses that due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 cases believed to be a result of the Omicron variant, a number of local healthcare workers had been isolated or were in quarantine.

He said the Cuban nurses will help ensure Bahamian healthcare services remain open and functioning.

“You will be integrated into our healthcare system. We will treat you like family,” he told the nurses.

“Because we will treat you like family, you will take care of the Bahamian people as if they’re your own. So it’s a mutual agreement and we look forward to, and I look forward to you, as Minister of Health, to see you in the healthcare system performing excellently and doing an excellent job to help us through these difficult times and the pandemic.”

Julio Cesar Gonzalez Marchante of the Embassy of the Republic of Cuba said the country can depend on Cuba for help.

“I want to emphasise that (The) Bahamas can count (on) us and (for) personnel of health at any moment. . .we started with this group of nurses and other personnel, but at any other moment we can continue (to) make more (available).

“I’m stressing this cooperation because really we have the personal and professional that are needed here.”

Glenda Gonzalez Cursta, head nurse of the group, said they are excited to be in the country.

“We are very happy and excited to be here because it’s a country that is a friend to Cuba,” she said. “Also we want to help and we want to offer our service to your people here. We want to exchange knowledge, abilities, and skills and just to help all the people here in the pandemic moment.

“So for that reason we are very proud to be here.”

Felipe Archibald, who works in the intensive care unit, said he has worked in different countries, but is happy to be in The Bahamas.

“I am very happy to be here in (The) Bahamas because I feel our team will do (an) excellent job here… I feel this is a very special moment to help any kind of people because we are living so stressed because (of) this pandemic that’s why we are here to work like a family giving proper care to anybody that needs our effort.”