The critical shortage of nurses in the Region and the resulting impacts on the health sector of Member States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) are major concerns of policymakers and the Regional Nursing Body (RNB).
The issues were a common thread of speakers at the opening of the 52nd Annual General Meeting of the RNB on Tuesday, 12 August in Barbados, where the spotlight was placed on the anticipated increase in the need for nurses and midwives, and the need for guidance and action to mitigate the impacts of the shortage.
Dr. The Most Honourable Jerome Walcott, Minister of Health and Wellness of Barbados, delivered the feature address in which he lauded the achievements of the Regional Nursing Body over the past 50 years and its unwavering commitment to nursing excellence.
“The RNB now stands at a critical crossroad. You are not only being called upon to sustain the gains of the past, but to lead the transformation of the profession, to shape new models of care and to prepare our nursing workforce to face complex health challenges ahead which include, of course, ‘Dr. Google’ and the worrisome effects of climate change,” the Minister said.
He pointed to the “troubling trends” and “growing concerns” about nurse retention and called for courage and collaboration in charting the course ahead.
“Too many of our nurses are leaving for greener pastures, an issue that has become more acute in recent years. Small developing states such as ours simply cannot match the salaries and benefit packages offered by the larger, wealthier nations. As a result, we are facing staffing shortages that increase nurse to patient ratios, create longer shifts which can lead to stress and burn out in some cases, and ultimately can compromise the quality of patient care,” he noted.
In her remarks, Ms. Alison Drayton, Assistant Secretary-General, Human and Social Development at the CARICOM Secretariat, highlighted the “critical shortage of these indispensable health professionals.” She cited the State of the World’s Nursing Report 2025 (SOWN), which pointed out that one in seven nurses globally was practising outside of the country of their birth, underscoring a growing dependence on foreign-born nurses within high-income countries.
“This dynamic poses significant challenges to the development and sustainability of health systems in low- and middle-income countries like those within our Region. Accordingly, it is imperative that the Region substantially increase its investments in the education, recruitment, and retention of nurses and midwives to safeguard the resilience and effectiveness of our health workforce,” the Assistant Secretary-General said.
Ms. Nester Edwards, Chair of the Regional Nursing Body and Chief Nursing Officer of the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Religious Affairs of Grenada, also warned of the consequences if gaps are not filled.
“While they are among the largest, if not the largest, segment of the workforce in our healthcare systems, the Region continues to face a perennial shortage of nurses and midwives with high attrition rates and migration to more developed countries. According to the SOWN 2025 report, we are unlikely to achieve the targets for universal health coverage if the gap in these shortages is not filled,” she said.
She called for redoubled efforts to find effective strategies to recruit and retain nurses and midwives, including those in the diaspora. “Improving working conditions and utilising technological advancements and incentives, including flexible working hours, should be considered when developing these strategies,” she said.
The RNB chair also urged capacity-building of the next generation of nurses and midwives in leadership, policy development, strategic planning and research.
Agenda items for the three-day meeting include developing an action plan to address the migration and mobility of health workers in the Region, a review of the SOWN 2025, new developments in nursing, and the results of the April 2025 sitting of the Regional Examination for Nurse Registration.
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