The Barbados Nurses Association (BNA) on Wednesday issued a dire warning: the healthcare system is at breaking point due to an exodus of nurses seeking better opportunities abroad.
BNA President Fay Parris called on the government to act urgently, highlighting that unresolved grievances are driving Barbados’ healthcare professionals away.
“The mass departure of nurses to greener pastures globally has left Barbados facing severe shortages in nursing staff,” Parris said at a press briefing. “This trend underscores the importance of creating an environment that encourages local nurses to stay and thrive in their home country.”
Parris pointed to unresolved issues, such as unpaid allowances and substandard working conditions, as key factors in the growing dissatisfaction among nurses.
“One area that is causing some unrest at this moment is the lack of uniforms and the non-payment of uniform allowance,” she told reporters.
Additionally, some nurses who worked on the frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic have yet to receive hazard allowances.
“Some of the nurses would have indicated that they did not receive the COVID hazard allowance during COVID time,” Parris said. “So that is one of the issues that we are also putting on the table so that everybody feels recognised and that they are rewarded for their service.”
The BNA is also calling for immediate action on longstanding environmental concerns within the healthcare sector. Recent work stoppages at two polyclinics were triggered by these unresolved issues, which Parris noted are affecting both staff and patients.
“I know that the Ministry of Health has a long-term plan to manage the environmental issues at the polyclinics, but what we really want to see is how we can manage it in the interim,” she said. “We want to see [work stoppages] minimised and that health personnel are not subject to illnesses because of environmental issues and, by extension, the patients who visit.”
Challenges in nursing education were also highlighted, including the shortage of educators and limited training resources. The BNA president stressed that maintaining high pass rates for the Regional Examination for Nurse Registration (RENR) is becoming increasingly difficult under these circumstances.
“The existing shortage of nursing educators poses a significant challenge to training current and new nurses. High levels of stress among the current teaching staff make the situation unsustainable in the long term,” she explained. “Adequate physical resources and appropriate facilities are crucial to ensure the success of the nursing students.”
The BNA has called on the government to address these issues by enhancing nurses’ remuneration, improving working conditions, and expanding educational resources.
Parris also acknowledged the recent recruitment of nurses from Ghana to ease shortages but described this as a temporary measure.
“We support them and encourage them to join BNA so that we can assist them during their period here,” she said. “Barbados is in a crisis, and we need that manpower. But we also need to fix what we have to fix here so that we don’t need to continually go for assistance.”
The association said it remains committed to supporting nurses and ensuring their contributions are valued.
“We really want to be there for our nurses,” Parris declared.
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