Policymakers and well being leaders throughout the Caribbean are elevating alarms over a important scarcity of nurses and midwives, which is threatening the resilience and effectiveness of well being methods in CARICOM Member States.
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The problem was highlighted on the opening of the 52nd Annual Basic Assembly of the Regional Nursing Physique (RNB) on August 12 in Barbados.
Dr. The Most Honourable Jerome Walcott, Barbados Minister of Well being and Wellness, delivered the function tackle, lauding the RNB’s five-decade dedication to nursing excellence whereas warning that the occupation is at a “important crossroad.” He cited troubling tendencies in nurse retention, noting that many are leaving for higher-paying positions overseas. “Small growing states corresponding to ours merely can’t match the salaries and profit packages supplied by the bigger, wealthier nations. Consequently, we face staffing shortages that improve nurse-to-patient ratios, create longer shifts, which may result in stress and burnout, and in the end can compromise the standard of affected person care,” Walcott mentioned.
Assistant Secretary-Basic for Human and Social Growth on the CARICOM Secretariat, Alison Drayton, emphasised the pressing want for funding within the nursing workforce. Citing the State of the World’s Nursing Report 2025 (SOWN), she famous that one in seven nurses globally practices outdoors their nation of start, placing low- and middle-income nations like these within the Caribbean in danger. “It’s crucial that the Area considerably improve its investments within the training, recruitment, and retention of nurses and midwives to safeguard the resilience and effectiveness of our well being workforce,” Drayton mentioned.
RNB Chair and Grenada’s Chief Nursing Officer, Nester Edwards, additionally warned of the results of persistent shortages. “Whereas they’re among the many largest, if not the most important, section of the workforce in our healthcare methods, the Area continues to face a perennial scarcity of nurses and midwives with excessive attrition charges and migration to extra developed nations,” she mentioned. Edwards known as for methods to recruit and retain nurses, together with these within the diaspora, via improved working situations, technological developments, incentives, and versatile working hours. She additionally emphasised the necessity to develop management, coverage, and analysis expertise among the many subsequent era of nurses and midwives.
The three-day assembly will tackle migration and mobility of well being employees, evaluate the SOWN 2025 report, study new developments in nursing, and talk about the outcomes of the April 2025 Regional Examination for Nurse Registration.
