Published Thursday, 20 September 2012
An ambulance on the streets of Havana, Cuba. (© Getty)
Sinn Féin's Sue Ramsey and the DUP's Jim Wells will make the trip to attend a conference featuring experts from around the world and to see health projects in the country first-hand.
Alliance MLA Kieran McCarthy has said the trip is "not justified" and that the same knowledge could have been gathered by the use of video-conferencing.
"I am, however, glad that the original idea of sending the whole committee to Cuba was withdrawn after I raised objections," he said.
"There was even a suggestion of sending a committee member from each of the five parties which was also withdrawn."
He added: "After Basil McCrea's aborted attempt to take the whole Employment and Learning committee to San Diego was heavily criticised, I am surprised that this proposal was put forward."
Communist Cuba is known for its strong public healthcare system, although it has been criticised for the low pay of its doctors and the poor state of some facilities.
Cuba is known for being able to deliver excellent health outcomes, despite spending considerably less than most European countries - including Northern Ireland.
Jim Wells
"The Cuba model may not be transferable to Northern Ireland considering that they are a communist country and, being in the Caribbean, they obviously have a different climate," Mr McCarthy said.
"I understand that their salaries are different to ours and pay is obviously a big part of our Health budget, so I do not know how much we can copy them."
The average life expectancy in Cuba is 77.7. While the average for Northern Ireland is 77, that figure falls to around 71 in parts of Belfast.
Committee chair Sue Ramsey said: "Tackling health inequalities is a key priority for the Committee.
"Cuba is well known across the world for its success in terms of improving public health, particularly through an emphasis on primary care and close working between health professionals and their patients, so that early signs of ill-health are quickly identified and treated.
"Lessons can be learned from Cuba which can be applied to how we take forward our new Public Health Strategy."
Deputy chair Jim Wells added: "We are facing wide-ranging changes to our health system following the review of healthcare and the publication of Transforming Your Care.
One of the key recommendations coming out of that report is a shift towards more services being provided through primary care settings.
"Cuba's health system is very much focused on community-based clinics staffed by multi-disciplinary teams - we will able to see first-hand how this works and if it could be applied in Northern Ireland."