Minister of State in the Ministry of Health, Wellness, the Environment and Civil Service Affairs Michael Joseph says the government’s recruitment of nurses from Ghana is being funded under the same model long used to support the Cuban medical brigade, rejecting claims that the arrangement adds new financial pressure.
Speaking on Twin Island Media, Joseph said the Ghanaian nurses programme mirrors the Cuban model and is being financed by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda. “It’s literally taking a cookie-cutter programme that we have with the Cubans and replicating it with the Ghanaians,” he said.
Joseph explained that the government has historically covered the costs associated with overseas medical professionals and that the same approach applies to the Ghanaian nurses. He said accommodation is being provided through multiple government-leased apartments, noting that similar housing arrangements were made for Cuban medical staff. “Cubans, when they came here, we had to provide them with apartments, and it’s the same thing,” he said.
He added that the recruitment of Ghanaian nurses was not a sudden shift in policy but part of an ongoing effort to address staffing shortages in the public health system, while maintaining continuity in how international medical partnerships are funded.
The programme has generated public debate in recent weeks, particularly over cost and sustainability, but Joseph said the funding framework remains unchanged from what has been used for years under the Cuban medical programme.
VIDEO: Minister of State Michael Joseph says the Ghanaian nurses programme is funded under the same model as the Cuban medical brigade, with no additional cost to the government.
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