I spoke with the Cuban ambassador (Bernardo Guanche) about the possibility of bringing Cuban medical personnel to Ireland to support our health services, and they are very open to that suggestion, said the legislator in an email sent to the Minister of Health, Stephen Donnelly, and released this Friday on its official website.

Pringle, who is coordinator of the parliamentary friendship group between the two islands, stressed that other European countries, including Italy, recently hired Cuban health workers, so there should be, he said, no impediment for Ireland to do the same.

There is no doubt that there is a shortage of doctors in all Irish health services, and this is not going to be solved in the short term with the training of more staff, he said.

After emphasizing that he sees no reason not to proceed with the hiring of doctors from the Caribbean island, the deputy affirmed that this step would contribute to improving medical care for citizens.

I ask you to consider this as a viable solution, remarked Pringle, who offered to help bring the project to fruition.

More than 600,000 Cuban health professionals have provided services in 165 countries since Cuba launched its medical collaboration program in May, 1963.

Currently, according to data from the Ministry of Public Health of the Caribbean island, some 50,000 Cuban health collaborators work in 67 nations around the world, including Mexico, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Algeria.

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