The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

EIGHTEEN nurses from the Republic of Ghana have arrived to help with the nurse shortage in the Bahamas.

They have signed a renewable two-year contract with the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

Since landing in the country a little over a week ago, three of the 18 nurses have gone to Grand Bahama, with nine stationed at Princess Margret Hospital and the remaining six at the Department of Public Health.

Yesterday, The Ministry of Health and Wellness hosted a new staff orientation for Ghanaian nurses with three recent nursing graduates from the University of The Bahamas.

Director of Nursing Gina Dean commemorated the occasion, saying the ministry is committed to ensuring the highest quality of services for health promotion, health protection, and healthcare within the country.

“I think everyone is aware that we have a significant deficit of nurses in the Bahamas and primarily because of the attrition rate where we have our nurses leaving going to other areas like the United States, Canada, and what have you,” Ms Dean said yesterday.

“And so, while we are working on trying to provide the conditions and opportunities for our nurses to encourage them to remain we also found ourselves in a position where we needed to reach out to other countries to see if we can get some persons to come in to give us a helping hand.”

She noted that the public healthcare system aims to improve staff morale and resolve outstanding labour issues.

Some frontline workers complain of physical and mental exhaustion.

Health and Wellness Permanent Secretary Colin Higgs said yesterday’s event was a “historic milestone”, the first time nurses have been recruited from Ghana.

Elizabeth Boatemaa, a native of Ghana, expressed gratitude for being able to practice nursing in The Bahamas.

“We dreamed big and today it had come through,” she –– a nurse of 20 years –– said.

“We give glory to God for bringing us from Ghana to The Bahamas to support the health service in The Bahamas.”

Laboratory Technologist and Special Disease Nurse Specialist Victor Kbodoviah said: “We brought our experience to support the health system here and also to explore other avenues, to get acquainted with our brothers from another land, which is the Bahamians.”

Asked whether the healthcare system differs from Ghana, Mr Kbodoviah said it is similar to The Bahamas.

Earlier this year, Public Hospitals Authority Managing Director Aubynette Rolle said that in addition to the Ghanaian nurses, the government expects to bring nurses from the Philippines and potentially India.