By Sue-Ann Wayow
WHILE nurses have left their jobs at the various regional health authorities (RHAs), many more have joined the healthcare system says Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh.
He added that 40 Cuban nurses were also expected to join soon.
Speaking at the Ministry of Health’s virtual media conference on Wednesday, Deyalsingh gave a breakdown of the number of nurses who left and entered the RHAs.
Responding to media reports that 100 nurses have left the system in search of better opportunities abroad, the minister said the RHAs have gained more than they lost.
Deyalsingh said that people will leave places of employment for a variety of reasons including better terms and conditions, career change, retirement, pregnancy or transfer to other facilities.
He said 12 nurses left the Eastern Regional Health Authority (ERHA) , 94 entered, a net gain of 82 persons.
The North Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA) had a net gain of 43 persons, 46 would have left and 89 would have started work.
For North West Regional Health Authority (NCRHA), there was a total of 216 persons leaving but a net of recruits of 285, a net gain of 69, the minister stated.
Deyalsingh said, “At South West, you had 59 leaving for various reasons, but 284 new nurses were hired, giving you a net increase of 225. The total number of persons coming into the system has far exceeded the total number of persons leaving the system for various reasons.”
He added, “Just today, I would have signed on to the recruitment of 40 extra Cuban nurses remembering that we had brought in 25 Cuban nurses around October of this year.”
The minister also spoke about the nursing training system.
“For the 2019/2021, there was a total intake of 7,227 students, total graduated 2019/2021 – 410 and I am told that each f those 410 have been incorporated in the public healthcare system,” he said.
And Deyalsingh said while the Covid-19 vaccination numbers for nurses and healthcare workers were increasing, the ministry was still concerned about the low vaccination numbers for persons at the NCRHA and the NWRHA.
