NURSING CONCERN

Falling pass rates of student nurses are adding to the island’s nurses’ shortage.

To address this, Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kenneth George said the Health and Wellness ministry would be working with the relevant tertiary institution to see these numbers turn around.

“We are looking to recruit nurses from the region, but we also have to work with the Barbados Community College (BCC) to make sure that our pass rates are raised,” he said, noting that while these students were passing the institution’s exam, they were failing the necessary CXC managed regional exam.

Terming these failure rates as “unacceptable”, George revealed the ministry has put mentoring facilities in place to help those nurses who are struggling to finally pass.

Arguing the shortage of nurses was a significant concern to the delivery of health care, he insisted that multiple approaches are being used to address the challenges, including filling the void with nurses from Ghana.
“From Ghana, we are hoping to source 75 nurses that will be placed throughout our health care system to strengthen it, because as we move to 24 hours at the David Thompson Health and Social Services Complex, we in the Ministry have to make sure that that is only done when there is a full complement of nurses to carry out those functions,” he said, revealing the nurses should be on the island by early next year.

However, the CMO admitted that over 400 nurses were needed to add tremendously to the island’s health care product.

Fielding questions from members of the media at the Savannah Hotel yesterday during a Child Health Workshop, George also commented briefly on concerns being expressed by one trade union that nurses were not being allowed time to study.

Insisting the Ministry of Health has always allowed nurses to do requested training, he said the shortage was so severe, granting time for was “a bit difficult at this point in time” .

“This workshop is short term training but with respect to midwifery, geriatric nursing it is not on hold, but it is a difficult time for health care and we need to sort that out first and we beg the indulgence of the nurses at this point in time,” he added. (JMB)