Barbados has once again strengthened its healthcare workforce with the arrival of 155 nurses from Ghana, landing at the Grantley Adams International Airport on November 3, 2024.
The group, accompanied by Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Health, Adelaide Ntim, was welcomed by Barbados’ Minister of Health and Wellness, Senator Dr. The Most Honourable Jerome Walcott, alongside other officials.
This marks the third cohort of Ghanaian nurses to arrive in Barbados since the start of a unique healthcare partnership in 2020, designed to address the ongoing nursing shortage in the country.
The first cohort of 95 nurses arrived at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by 120 more in 2022. Many of those nurses remain in Barbados, some having made it their permanent home.
Minister Walcott shared that the new nurses would be assigned to various specialist departments at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and across the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ primary care facilities.
These areas include cardiology, accident and emergency theatre, midwifery, psychiatric medicine, and geriatrics. “So, we’re looking for these nurses to help improve the overall delivery of our healthcare,” he stated, underscoring the anticipated impact of their expertise.
Ghana’s Deputy Health Minister, Adelaide Ntim, welcomed the ongoing collaboration with Barbados, highlighting Ghana’s surplus of nurses, many of whom remain unemployed in the country.
She noted that nurses from the previous cohorts had already demonstrated their capability and dedication in Barbados’ healthcare system. Ms. Ntim expressed confidence in the new arrivals, stating that they, too, would “deliver” quality service.
