Health Minister warns of unsustainable nurse shortages

Barbados’ nursing workforce is under severe strain as the island battles rising health problems and a shrinking number of nurses, Health Minister Senator Jerome Walcott has warned.

With just 43 nurses for every 10 000 people — roughly one nurse per 234 residents — the system is struggling to cope with an ageing population, a surge in chronic diseases, and nurses leaving for better-paid jobs abroad.

“Small developing states like ours simply cannot match the salaries and benefit packages offered by large, wealthier nations,” Walcott told a regional nursing conference on Monday. He called the current situation “uncomfortably unsustainable” as staffing shortages threaten patient care.

To fill the gap, Barbados has hired 220 Ghanaian nurses since 2020 for specialised areas like critical care and mental health. The government is also pushing to introduce advanced practice nurses, a new category allowing nurses to take on more clinical responsibilities, such as diagnosing and treating patients, to ease pressure on doctors.

He called it a transformative step to modernise healthcare and retain talent, adding that laws are being updated to expand nurses’ roles and improve career progression.

The government is partnering with international universities to boost training in mental health, paediatrics and elderly care. It’s also working to increase pay for nurse tutors to attract and keep skilled educators.

“We must be bold about the future,” Walcott told delegates to the annual general meeting of the Regional Nursing Body at the Savannah Hotel, while praising the strides made in nurse training and healthcare delivery. 

“You are not only being called upon to sustain the gains of the past,” he said, “but to lead the transformation of the profession to shape new models of care and to prepare our nursing workflows, to face complex health challenges ahead, which include, of course, ‘Dr Google’ and the worrisome effects of climate change.” 

(SB)