KINGSTON, St Vincent (CMC):

The three-year nursing programme which Cuba has offered to Caribbean states has now been brought in-line with regional standards.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines Minister of Health, Dr. Douglas Slater, on announcing that 90 Vincentian students would be making their way to Havana next week, said his ministry had worked with the Cubans in modifying their programme.

"I am pleased that we were able to help the Cubans fashion the programme to meet our needs," Dr. Slater said, adding that the modified curriculum would benefit all regional countries as it met the regional criteria for equivalence to the Registered Nursing programme.

While several Eastern Caribbean countries previously took up the offer, the minister said St. Vincent and the Greanadines delayed taking up the offer because of its concern with the scholarly level of the programme compared with that in St. Vincent.

The nursing body in St Lucia recently pointed out to health officials there that St Lucian students in the programme would not be able to be registered as nurses on their return home as the Cuban programme was not the equivalence of the Caribbean-wide standards.

St Lucia's Health Minister Damien Greaves travelled to Havana last week to look into a number of other concerns which St Lucian students had highlighted with the programme and other conditions.

Meanwhile, according to Dr. Slater, the Vincentian trainees would also receive Diplomas in Spanish and Information Technology on successful completion of the course students.

"Students can also capitalise on the opportunity to stay in Cuba for a further two years to pursue a Bachelor in Science degree in any nursing specialty," Slater said.

Regional countries have embraced the Cuban programme at a time when they continue to grapple with a shortage of nurses due to the migration of health care professionals to larger countries such as Britain and United States.