Opposition Says Nurses Left Unprotected

The Democratic Labour Party (DLP) is accusing the Mottley administration of neglecting nurses and other healthcare workers, saying the government has failed to act decisively in the face of growing threats and violence at medical institutions.

Speaking in a strongly worded statement on Wednesday, Opposition Senator Andre Worrell, spokesperson for Health and Wellness and candidate for St Michael Central, said nurses are being left vulnerable while the Ministry of Health “hides behind excuses.”

His comments come as the Barbados Nurses Association (BNA) and the Unity Workers Union (UWU) continue negotiations with the Ministry of Health and Wellness for better security and working conditions. The talks have stretched into a second week.

Worrell pointed to recent violent incidents, including the stabbing of a nurse at the Psychiatric Hospital, as well as reported attacks at Randal Phillips and Glebe Polyclinics, as evidence that the government is failing frontline healthcare staff.

“A nurse being stabbed on duty is not an ‘isolated act of aggression.’ It is the direct consequence of a government that refuses to prioritise the safety of its frontline workers,” he said.

The DLP senator criticised acting Permanent Secretary Wayne Webster for issuing what he described as a “tepid” statement, after Webster cautioned on Sunday that services could be disrupted by a planned BNA meeting. Worrell said the Ministry had downplayed the seriousness of the issue.

He also accused Health Minister Dr Jerome Walcott and Junior Minister Davidson Ishmael of being silent, saying neither had condemned the violence nor offered assurances of swift corrective action.

“Their silence is an indictment of this government’s neglect of those who care for us in our most vulnerable moments,” Worrell said.

The DLP further questioned government spending priorities, highlighting the cost of cultural events and overseas trips, while claiming not enough has been allocated to healthcare worker safety.

“This is not a matter of resources — it is a matter of priorities,” Worrell said, adding that one security guard per clinic is “a disgrace.”

The opposition is now calling on the Ministry to immediately implement stronger security measures at all health institutions. (LE)