Cuban Nurses To Temporarily Fill Vacancies In Grenada; 50 Locals To Be Trained As Nursing Assistants

ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, December 11, 2019 (CMC) – The government of Grenada will, early in 2020, be contracting between 30 to 40 nurses from Cuba, as a temporary measure to help fill vacancies within the healthcare systems.

This is part of a short-term measure, adopted by health administrators, aimed at reducing the impact of nurses, who are taking up jobs overseas.

Health Minister, Nikolas Steele, said the government is currently finalizing arrangements for the nurses, following the visit of a delegation to Cuba, a few weeks ago.

“This is a stop-gap measure,” he said, while admitting that, over the years, nurses with experience are leaving the system.

“Unfortunately, we are losing our nurses to first-world countries,” he said.

However, he did not say how many nurses have left the system in most recent times.

Besides Cuba, Steele said that Grenada is also looking to import nurses from Ghana and India.

The final agreement will include housing for the nursing professionals.

While the government will be importing the qualified registered nurses and those, who are highly qualified, Steele revealed that 50 persons, who are desirous of becoming nursing assistants, will commence a one-year training program, through one of the certified national training centres of the National Training Agency.

“We are still on schedule for a January start of our nursing assistants program, we are in final negotiations with La Boucan, and the national training authority of Grenada, as well as our Ministry of Youth and Education, to finalise the training of 50 nursing assistants, in two batches of 25,” the Minster said.

The curriculum is expected to meet the criteria of the nursing council, the national training agency and the Ministry of Health, and will involve, both theory and practical.

La Boucan Creative Centre, which is owned and operated by former Health Minister, under the Tillman Thomas administration, Ann Peters, and her husband, Urias, is recognised as a national training centre, with a program that is accredited by the National Accreditation Board.