The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE Tribune Business Reporter nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net "PHENOMENAL" employment opportunities exist for Bahamians in healthcare and allied industries, a leading doctor said yesterday, noting that the sector currently relies on a significant number of expatriate workers. Well-known urologist, Dr Robin Roberts, told Tribune Business that the medical profession has for a long time been viewed as mainly one for just doctors and nurses. "We are, at most, 20 per cent of the health industry workers, and that's just coming to light now. There are a lot of other job opportunities in the medical field," Dr Roberts said. "I think, unfortunately, there is a lack of awareness. I think that in our schools we are not preparing the students for these opportunities. I think we, on both ends of the spectrum, are to blame. Schools aren't grounding our students in the sciences to prepare them for these jobs, and we, on the other hand, are not saying to the schools what we need and what are the opportunities that are there for them. We both need to realise the contributions that we make." Dr Roberts, who will be a speaker at the upcoming Grand Bahama Business Outlook conference, said the need for health care workers is increasing as the population ages. "The population is aging, the utilisation of health care is increasing, and so the amount of health care workers we need is increasing. There are professions where you can work on the job site and become full professionals within two years. These aren't jobs where you have to be working for 10 to 15 years," Dr Roberts said. "I think we have a lot to learn in the Bahamas in terms of looking at the job opportunities that are available now and that are available in the future. There is a significant shortage of pharmacists in the Bahamas, and if you look at the pharmacists that we have you will see that a considerable number of them are expatriates because we don't have the Bahamians available."