President Irfaan Ali on Wednesday pledged that 1000’s of Guyanese nurses who left the nation for higher-paying jobs overseas might quickly return dwelling beneath profitable incentive packages, if his social gathering secures one other time period within the Sept. 1 basic and regional elections.
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Talking at a Folks’s Progressive Occasion Civic marketing campaign assembly in Alexander Village, Georgetown, Ali mentioned he expects many overseas-based nurses to be again in Guyana earlier than 2030.
“Inside the subsequent 5 years … all of the nurses who left, they’ll come again as a result of what we’re going to give our nurses right here will make no sense for them to be wherever else,” he mentioned. He famous that pharmacists, medical doctors and academics have already begun returning. “They’re coming again as a result of we’re constructing stronger and higher, and Guyana at the moment is a land of alternative.”
The announcement follows public backlash earlier this 12 months over the federal government’s determination to rent overseas nurses on larger salaries than native employees. Though salaries for nurses and different medical professionals had been elevated in 2022, many nonetheless left for jobs in the UK and the USA.
The scarcity has additionally affected different Caribbean nations. Barbados has turned to hiring nurses from Ghana, whereas Dominica has rehired retirees to fill gaps.
On the opening of the 52nd Annual Common Assembly of the Regional Nursing Physique in Bridgetown, Barbados, Caribbean Neighborhood (CARICOM) Assistant Secretary Common Alison Drayton warned of a vital regional shortage of nurses and midwives. Citing the State of the World’s Nursing Report 2025, which discovered that one in seven nurses globally work exterior their delivery nation, Drayton mentioned this development strains well being methods in low- and middle-income nations.
“This dynamic poses important challenges to the event and sustainability of well being methods in low- and middle-income international locations like these inside our area,” she mentioned. “Accordingly, it’s crucial that the area considerably improve its investments within the schooling, recruitment, and retention of nurses and midwives to safeguard the resilience and effectiveness of our well being workforce.”
