Cuban disaster zone doctors deemed ‘not appropriate’ for SWAH

THE Western Health Trust has deemed a proposal for the Henry Reeve Brigade of Cuban doctors to help at South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) as “not appropriate”.

Cllr Sheamus Greene raised the issue during a meeting of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council Policy and Resources Committee, inquiring if there was any update on the previously-agreed proposal for the Trust to ask Cuban doctors to assist with the current emergency surgery crisis.

Chief executive, Alison McCullagh, advised that, following a meeting between the council, Western Trust and the Cuban Embassy, matters were left with the Trust’s Head of International Recruitment, who shared the information about how any foreign national would engage with health recruitment.

She said, “That was shared with the Cuban Embassy who indicated their willingness to remain involved and engaged. We’ve heard
nothing further from either party since.”

At the end of the discussion, Cllr Greene proposed this was followed up by writing to both parties to establish if there have been any further developments.

In a statement released after the meeting, a Trust spokesperson said, “The Trust emphasised [at the meeting with the Cuban Embassy] that the Henry Reeves
Brigade was not appropriate in respect of the workforce position at SWAH.

“It was clearly stated by both the Trust and the Cuban Embassy representative that the Henry Reeves Brigade intervene to help in
natural disasters, etc. which this is not.

“The Trust highlighted the established and successful work carried out in the Trust’s International Medical Recruitment Programme in attracting 209 international medical consultants to the Trust, 86 to SWAH, up to the end of March 2023.”

The spokesperson said it was agreed that “appropriate links” would be made between the Trust’s well-established International Recruitment Programme team and Cuban
Medical Services to explore and consider the viability of this moving forward.