{"id":264350,"date":"2026-01-16T12:26:56","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T16:26:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=264350"},"modified":"2026-01-16T12:26:58","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T16:26:58","slug":"officials-acknowledge-difficulty-retaining-local-nurses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/officials-acknowledge-difficulty-retaining-local-nurses\/","title":{"rendered":"Officials Acknowledge Difficulty Retaining Local Nurses"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Government officials have acknowledged ongoing challenges in retaining locally trained nurses, citing continued overseas recruitment and the inability to match international salary offers.<\/p>

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Addressing questions during Thursday\u2019s post-Cabinet media briefing, Director General of Communications in the Prime Minister\u2019s Office Maurice Merchant said nurses continue to migrate regularly in search of better-paying opportunities abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOn a weekly basis, our nurses migrate,\u201d Merchant said.<\/p>

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He said Antigua and Barbuda\u2019s nurses are actively recruited because of their training and qualifications.<\/p>

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\u201cOur nurses are being poached because of their standards, because of how qualified they are,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Merchant said retaining nurses once they are trained remains difficult, particularly when competing with institutions in North America and Europe.<\/p>

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\u201cUnfortunately, there is not much except to try and match the pockets of these international institutions,\u201d he said. \u201cThat is practically impossible for us to compete.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said financial realities play a major role in nurses\u2019 decisions to migrate.<\/p>

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\u201cPersons will migrate to greener pastures if offered lucrative arrangements,\u201d Merchant said.<\/p>

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Merchant contrasted public healthcare systems with overseas institutions, noting the differences in funding models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGovernment provides health care free for Antiguans and Barbudans through our health centers and Mount St. John Medical Centre,\u201d he said. \u201cInstitutions within North America and Europe, you must have insurance, or you pay a significant cost for visiting hospitals or healthcare facilities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the government continues to pursue local nurse training as part of its long-term strategy, even as it responds to immediate staffing needs through contractual arrangements with international partners.<\/p>\n

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Government officials have acknowledged ongoing challenges in retaining locally trained nurses, citing continued overseas recruitment and the inability to match international salary offers. Addressing questions during Thursday\u2019s post-Cabinet media briefing, Director General of Communications in the Prime Minister\u2019s Office Maurice Merchant said nurses continue to migrate regularly in search of better-paying opportunities abroad. \u201cOn a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":173495,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-264350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nOfficials Acknowledge Difficulty Retaining Local Nurses - Antigua News Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/officials-acknowledge-difficulty-retaining-local-nurses\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Officials Acknowledge Difficulty Retaining Local Nurses\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Government officials have acknowledged ongoing challenges in retaining locally trained nurses, citing continued overseas recruitment and the inability to match international salary offers. 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