The Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre (SLBMC) is grappling with a growing crisis—a severe shortage of nurses. This shortage has become so dire that it is compromising patient care and overburdening the remaining staff, leading to an unsustainable situation that demands immediate government intervention. While the need for increased salaries and fair incentives has been acknowledged, a deeper issue has surfaced: poor management from nursing leadership, particularly within the office of the Director of Nursing, Mrs. Jacequaline JnoBaptiste.
Interviews with several nurses, who wish to remain anonymous due to fear of retaliation, have highlighted significant concerns. These include a lack of transformational leadership, poor workplace dynamics, and an environment that stifles professional growth. These issues have not only affected Registered Nurses, and Assistive Nursing Personnel but have also extended to Nursing Managers and Departmental Managers, creating a ripple effect of dissatisfaction across the hospital.
One senior nurse voiced frustration, stating, “The Director does not give an ear to the cry of even her management when it comes to implementing policies and modern-day employment strategies to attract and retain nurses.”
This sentiment was echoed by other nurses who reported being targeted for trivial matters, such as the full white uniform compliance, and being pressured to admit patients despite overwhelming workloads. On some units, one or two Registered Nurses (RNs) and assistive nursing personnel are left to manage over 20 patients, leading to delayed care and an increased risk of burnout among the staff.
The morale among the nursing staff has plummeted. Many have expressed that their concerns are met with silence, and fear of being targeted has led to a culture of resignation. This toxic environment has not only stifled communication but has also led to a sense of hopelessness among the staff, who feel that their leaders are failing them. As one nurse lamented, “It appears as if nothing is being done. These head nurses in the system are working in a corps, sharing power and positions, and turning against their own, they do not care about the future of this profession.”
The effects of this leadership crisis are evident throughout the hospital. Critical units such as the Operating Theatre, Emergency Room, NICU, Med-Surgical Ward, and ICU among others are all suffering from dangerously low staffing levels, leaving patients at risk and pushing the few remaining nurses to their limits.
The people of Antigua and Barbuda are beginning to feel the impact of this crisis firsthand. With the quality of care at SLBMC deteriorating, the public is raising an SOS to the government and the Minister of Health.
There is a clear and urgent need for the government to step in and address the root causes of the nurse shortages, starting with a thorough review of the leadership within the nursing department. The time has come to end the self-sabotage and political maneuvering that have plagued the nursing leadership, and to prioritize the health and safety of both the patients and the nurses who care for them.
If swift action is not taken, the situation will only worsen, leaving the nation’s healthcare system in jeopardy. The government must recognize that the well-being of its citizens hinges on the strength and stability of its healthcare professionals. It is time to listen to the voices of those on the front lines and take decisive action to restore trust, morale, and the high standards of care that the people of Antigua and Barbuda deserve.
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Mercy Me
Root cause is y’all don’t like to pay people all of you want quality work for shitty pay..
These nurses are so HYPOCRITICAL!!!!! Full of NASTY, SHITTY, HOGGISH, POMPOUS, NASTY, CONDESCENDING, UNPROFESSIONAL, WICKED, BAD Behaviour!!!!!
Always complaining and crying demanding increase in salary, but NO INCREASE IN POSITIVE BEHAVIOR TOWARDS PATIENTS!!!
Too many of them lack KINDNESS, COMPASSION. CARE. THOUGHTFULNESS AND BASIC HUMAN DECENCY.
A well-know radio personality recounted her terrible ordeal with one of these “nurses” before they flew her to Trinidad for treatment. Thin her name is Sassy.
Them nurses just awful and money-hungry!
Even with their very best effort, the government would never be able to keep nurses and teachers here. There is a great demand for trained teachers and nurses in the US and the UK. Nurses and teachers will always gravitate to areas with greener pastures. The shortage that we are experiencing in Antigua and Barbuda is not confined to us alone. Every Caribbean country is experiencing the same shortfall.
Jamaica who has one of the better regional health care program, is forced to bring in nurses from Cuba almost on an annual basis.
The most that government can do is to ensure that both nurses and teachers are paid a good and competitive salary along with other tangible benefits. But even that doesn’t guarantee that they would not eventually migrate.
Nurses deserve to be paid handsomely for their work. It is not easy being a nurse anywhere in the world. Nurses deserve our respect and empathy. They should get paid just like the senators of government. If the political leaders can afford to leave the island and go to Jamaica for health care where someone mentioned that they have a better state of affairs in this department. Do you think that government mps are going to care about your healthcare and what it entails. Make any of them get into an accident, God fobid, and they get the worse health treatment, bet you see they do something fast. I’m 47 and is the doctors and nurses that come from Cuba, that I see ,that help our local nurses and doctors, do their best to give people the best healthcare they can. Some nurses do have some bad behavior, but I don’t think it’s all of them. Not withstanding, they do deserve better payment. I hope they do something soon.
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