LETTER: Reasons Why Nurses in Antigua and Barbuda Are Quitting

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Nurses during protest 2018/file photo ANR.

Dear Editor,

We Are: Overworked. Under paid. Unappreciated.

 

NO RETIREMENT BENEFITS: Imagine no retirement plan or fund nothing whatsoever have ever been drafted. Persons do not know what they are working for or what benefit they will get at retirement age.

 

COVID-19 backpay: Although you boasted $1000 across the board for frontline workers which means all, not emergency alone, choice was made as to who gets

the amount entitled to. So many have gotten sick so many risked their lives and have never been given a quarter AS PROMISED.

 

Mr. Molwyn Joseph, Mr.Gaston BrowneΒ we need our money.

 

We need to be treated as if we matter.

 

We need proper working equipment.

 

We need to be able to financially secure our families.

 

No resources to us to easily own a land or house.

 

More recently, a friend went to the bank only to be turned down for a mortgage loan.

Her salary was not enough to cover your 500 homes after she waited for so long

No outstanding debts in her name but cannot be given a loan as a nurse?

 

SHAME SHAME SHAME…. I voted for this government I am ASHAMED

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28 COMMENTS

  1. Wow! Well highlighted, like many others in Antigua, I had no idea that our nurses were being left out to dry by this current government.

    There’s an underlying current about how they are treating workers in all fields; and the ABLP have been getting away with underpayments (and in many cases, no payments at all).

    Pensioners, government/public sector workers have all felt the financial squeeze and limitations from the ABLP at some time, and they do not have any sympathy/or empathy for them.

    Yet, instead, these same said politicians vote πŸ—³ themselves inflation busting wage rises πŸ’°

    Simply pay the people what they are due, they’ll then spend their money in the country and the economy will see a financial upturn. SIMPLE ECONOMIC GROWTH GASSY πŸ₯Έ

    REMEMBER, EVERY MICKLE MEK A MUCKLE …

  2. We are tired. We work long hours. Split days off, after working evenings, nights and days. We need to be more appreciated. Re need more benefits. More money. Who is caring for the carers? If we are not cared, how can we care for others? Many more nurses are leaving. What is going to happen to those who remain. Spanish speaking nurses need the locals to assist them. They don’t speak English well. Heaven help us all.

  3. I agree imagine you go to school for 4 years…. spend so much of money… took one of the hardest exams in history to be making less than a gardener at any of the hotels in the island its frustrating…. cant get a loan and as for the promised money is those they feel risked the most the giving although all of us have been exposed

      • Is this how you should treat people who choose to risk their life for you though? What about the promise made
        by the government shouldn’t it be kept?

        • Thank you persons are forgetting we chose to care and we did a very damn good job serving the public, with constant insults and ridicule.I have to be throwing $30 more in my tank for work….
          They need to give all of us our covid money
          They lied to us they promised across the board now they are picking out
          Not even the cleaners they paid
          One spoke on it Nd she got fired!!!!

  4. Nursing in antigua is a joke and no matter how many times we protest nothing will change because the hands at the top done grease and they dont care about those at the bottom….. Being a nurse in Antigua has no value its just show and tell and dressing up in White…. you can be the best nurse and no one will see it and thats why we keep resigning and resigning when we start see our value we will stay

  5. COME ON GASTON, THE NURSES ARE NOW RESPONDING.

    ITS OVER TO YOU NOW … MAN UP AND REPLY TO THEIR MAJOR CONCERNS!!!

  6. I stopped complaining because we have no unity, if we don’t all come together nothing will happen. We bark and don’t bite, yet still all wanna benefit. Our supervisors and the so called union for nurses are political motivated so shit won’t happen. Don’t make sense stress yourself. Then when you apply for a transcript to leave the nursing school wanna deny you your own transcript which should have been given upon graduation. We work under the most horrible and stressful conditions and we still perform and soon as we bash out John public has the world to say. Who can do our jobs. Not easy to be writing 9 and 10 nurses notes. To be honest we can’t even provide adequate care,. Other than giving meds and changing diaper because patient load is overbearing and they want us perform miracles. Anyways I will be leaving my lovely country to find better working conditions and provide a better life for my family. We can all do the same.. opportunities are there for each and everyone of us. To all the young aspiring nurses who are still in training PLEASE DONT STAY HERE. Government don’t care, taking about we essential. I do hope when the government changes, the new party don’t play a blind eye

    Ministry of health is full of shit.

    Yes I said it

    • I guess you know that countries all over the world are recruiting nurses, including the US, Canada and the UK. Nurses are so overworked and stressed out during the planned Demic that they are leaving the profession in droves. If not appreciate in Antigua, there are other pastures out there and the people of Antigua will suffer.

    • We only essential for a time and to John public they always have the world to say…. Try being a nurse for a day when we have to do everything, write notes, house maid, cleaner,give medication, listen to relatives, be advocate, be a miracle worker, all in a days pay and people still have the world to say…. yes we signed up to be a nurse but we didnt sign up for this we have family we are people too…. imagine working for years only to have nothing when we leaving… This is not Forence Nightengayle times smh Covid 19 done so everyone back to the same old shit

    • Yup. Hope your bed at Mayo clinic awaits !!
      Gangstas respect nurses so you are no gangsta, you are a wanabeeGansta. Hashtag that!

  8. Nurses,Nurses,Nurses,you do have choices working in your favors. In the areas close to where I am living,in the USA. The Hospitals are recruiting Nurses with signed on Bonuses of $10,000 up to US $60,000 based on your experiences. The salaries are very,very,good. There is no State Income Tax from Payroll in the State referenced. That in itself is a saving off the top.

    • Nurses,you have to begin to think about your future. Do not wait and retired then begin to second guess yourselves. By then,it would be or could be too late. Make your moves now and be paid what your labor is worth.

  9. When one chooses a profession, you find out beforehand what the salary scale in the industry is. It’s not when you are on the job you try to get the scale change. You can try but it is not that easy. And yes, some countries are paying for certain jobs more than others. When the UPP introduced the voluntary separation package it was well received by many. Even teachers that were long in the system took the opportunity to take the financial benefits that had they left on their own they would have lost. And they went to greener pastures in North America (USA and Canada). Nursing is one of those vocations they say is a calling. In my opinion the work that nurses, teachers, firefighters, police officers and other critical to our security do on a daily basis is priceless. When I am running away from danger there are these people that run towards danger. I have not yet seen a police officer that ran away from a crime scene. When we hear a gub shot we run away. It’s our first instinct. A police officer runs to see who and what is going on. When there is a fire the same thing happens. Yet these professionals are not rewarded according to the danger they put themselves in every day. Does that means that we should not try to improve things for them. YES! And that is why they have Unions. They need to constantly champion the case for these professional. What does place the big part here is resonableness. At the end of the day, were it so simple to raise one’s salary than this would be done long time ago. Money has to come from somewhere. Goevernment earns monies through taxation. Public Servants have always claimed that they are not paid enough. But I stand to differ. Public Servant have more benfits in the end than privat sector workers. The biggest benefit is the None-Contriobutary Pension that they enjoy after working ten years. And second they pay less into Social Security than Private Sector workers. Public Servants get personal loans at, I believe 2%, from their employer the government. Althouh the amount if capped up to $5,000.00. Government is making special arrnagement for public servants when it comes to housuing. People in the private sector have no one to make special arrangement for them. And the salary scale in the Private Sector vs the Public Sector is not that far apart. When one therefore adds the benefits to the salary, I can bet you the public servant in the end is better of. Especially when both are in their elder years. One is getting two pensions while the other is getting onlty one. Therfore we cannot just look at things simply as dollar for dollar. We need to count ALL of the benefits that one has. When we negotiate in good faith I’m sure we will find a middle ground. But I want to remain nursing student that the job of a nurse seems like a un-appreciated job, but if it is your calling to be one, please follow your calling. There is something more valuable than money in the end. That is called Satisfaction with the work you do on a daily basis. When one doesn’t love their job anymore, no amount of money will make you feel and be happy. And if it is money you’re after, chose the profession that pays you the highest buck for your skills.

    • you always talking CHIT. A nursing career is a great choice. You are such a hack. Those same nursed if registered can make $100 USD an hour. All they got to do is reach out to a top hospital recruiter and they are gone 123. Always the apologists for BULL CHIT. Wish you would just STFU

    • READ YOU NO HEAR NO RETIREMENT PLAN DEY! NONE DEY.NA DA
      MOST OF THE NURSES EMPLOYED AT THE HOSPITAL WORK UNDER STATUTORY MANAGEMENT. ..WHILE SOME WORK FOR DIRECT GOVERNMENT ALL THAT IS BULLSHIT

    • Money will come from not rewarding β€œyes” men. Pay us better and stop creating fake posts at mt. s.o.b. sorry slb & @mohw&e!
      Antigua need to appreciate its own and stop exporting human talent and/or STOP trying fu discredit those who try to STAND ON PRINCIPLE
      #vindictive&lie

  10. A water bottle at the store cost $1.00
    The same bottle at a Hotel is $3.00
    The same bottle at the Airport cost $5.00
    Same bottle, same brand
    The only thing that changes is the place.
    Each place gives a different value to the same item.
    When you feel worthless, underappreciated, change places.
    A word to the nurses.

    • Love that answer but you were replying to a NIMROD. I retired as a hospital manager and was an Air Force Nurse. those nurse are worth a fortune they just in a place that do not appreciate them or working people period. You are a logical thinker unlike that double mouth ROCKET SCIENTISTS. Needs to stay his ass on the side of the road

      • Sometimes it’s not worth responding to you. And you always think you should take the discussion to a low level. Read and understand what I wrote. And make your own argument. Mine is as solid as it gets. An accountant will tell you that his profession is undervalued. He spends hours and days trying to provide financial reports, but people who have no clue just take his work and dump it in the garbage. Each profession therefore can say that they are not appreciated. Depending on the place they are.

  11. They need to do something as soon as possible before all of our nurses migrate to greener pastures. The demand for nurses are extremely high in Canada and the USA.

  12. I feel for the nurses and teachers, the most under appreciated and under paid professions.

    Ironically these people are the backbones of society.

    My advice to the nurses, do as I did and find a country that needs you and move on.

    The ABLP is all “Smoke & Mirrors”. Mind you I say that with “Tongue in Cheek” as the UPP is no different.

  13. Gaston and his wife are partying in Dubai and the people in Antigua are suffering. Mister PM it’s a bad OPTIC.

    Or do you care at all?????

  14. $100 per hour plus signing bonuses of thousands, all travel expenses paid, per diem and moving expenses. Work as you like 2 weeks a month, 12 hour shifts MAKING: $1200 per day. $16,800 per month. You can work for someone else on your other two weeks off or you can fly back to Antigua every two weeks cause you will be able to afford it.

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