Dear Editor,
The recent uproar over the current shortage of nurses and the solution being put in place do present an opportunity for a constructive discussion in order to reach a mutually acceptable solution. We must first address two fundamental questions and their associated issues:
1. Why is there a shortage and how do we prevent it?
2. What interim steps can we take to prevent the shortage from negatively impacting the level of care given to patients?
The current nurse shortage is the result of nurses leaving our shores for a better standard of living, and a shortage of supply of trained new nurses coming into the healthcare sector. In addition, the growth of the sector due to the building of additional hospitals has also increased the demand for nurses. The leaders of the opposition and the governing party have briefly touched on these issues, but it is worthwhile to have a more in-depth look.
Using the opportunity for collective bargaining with the union representing the nurses and healthcare workers would be beneficial. It would allow for the establishment of a comprehensive compensation package that ranges from base pay to benefits such as pension and housing, which will help raise the standard of living of our healthcare workers. Thus making our healthcare sector more competitive and attractive to workers both regionally and globally. Local workers will stay if they have less to gain from uprooting their lives to go elsewhere.
The current unemployment rate in Guyana amongst graduates from the University also presents an opportunity for current and future graduates to enter the healthcare sector. Offering additional course taking opportunities and expanding the curriculum to allow for the transition into the sector will help to quickly fill the current shortage and provide the much needed employment for graduates.
The interim solution being offered by the government does have its benefits, but we must ensure that we provide the sector with healthcare workers that meet the standards required by the sector. This can be achieved by carrying out testing and training before allowing prospective medical immigrant workers to serve in the sector. According to the Economist’s Health Inclusivity Index (December, 2023), Bangladesh was ranked the lowest. Pulling resources from Bangladesh will only exacerbate their current problem and do a disservice to the people of Bangladesh. We should consider a highly ranked healthcare system as a temporary source of human resources. It will allow us to fill the current gap while also providing an opportunity to learn from the best in the sector who can also train current and future nurses as our supply catches up with demand. The establishment of the new French Embassy does provide such an opportunity. It would be worthwhile for the Government, the University and the local Union for Healthcare Workers to jointly develop a comprehensive plan with input from the French Government in order to address the labour shortage.
The end result of these actions should be an improvement in care provided, the implementation of newly learned best practices, and a local pipeline filled with healthcare workers to meet both the current and future needs of the sector.
Best regards,
Jamil Changlee
Chairman
The Cooperative Republicans of Guyana
