Bahamas: Nurse shortage could hamper nation's development

By Krystel Rolle ~ Guardian Staff Reporter ~ krystel@nasguard.com:


A severe shortage of nurses could cripple the nation's development, according to a World Bank report, which named The Bahamas among a group of Caribbean countries that suffers from the deficiency.

The report, which was released last week, noted that nursing shortages across the English-speaking Caribbean limit access to and the quality of health services and affect the region's competitiveness.

The report revealed, "According to (the study) 'The Nurse Labor and Education Markets in the English-speaking CARICOM - Issues and Options for Reform,' the region is facing a rapidly growing shortage of nurses as demand for quality health care increases due to an aging population, and high numbers of nurses emigrate, drawn by higher paying jobs in Canada, the UK and the USA."

Pointing to the severity of The Bahamas' shortage on Thursday, Minister of Health Dr. Hubert Minnis said The Bahamas has 26 nurses to every 10,000 people, while countries like the United States have 100 nurses per 10,000 people.

"And they are short," Dr. Minnis said, referring to the United States.

"The World Bank estimates that there are 7,800 nurses working in the English-speaking Caribbean (CARICOM), or 1.25 nurses per 1,000 people, roughly one-tenth the concentration in some OECD countries. In addition, demand for nurses exceeds their supply throughout the region: 3,300 or 30 percent of all positions in the sector were vacant at the time of the study."

The World Bank said such shortages can hinder the Caribbean.

"These shortages have tangible impacts that may compromise the ability of English-speaking CARICOM countries to meet their key health care service needs, especially in the areas of disease prevention and care. In addition, the shortage of highly-trained nurses reduces the capacity of countries to offer quality health care at a time when Caribbean countries aim to attract businesses and retirees as an important pillar of growth."

The World Bank said in the coming years, demand for nurses in the English-speaking Caribbean will increase due to the health needs of the aging population.

"Under current education and labor market conditions, however, supply will slightly decrease. The World Bank expects that unmet demand for nurses will more than triple during the next 15 years — from 3,300 nurses in 2006 to 10,700 nurses in 2025."

A study undertaken by an international research group and recently highlighted by Health Minister Dr. Minnis has determined that The Bahamas has an aging population.

An aging population is usually characterized by an increase in a population's mean and median ages, a decline in the proportion comprised of children and young adults, and a rise in the proportion that is elderly.

Minnis said over the next 20 years the number of young persons in the population will diminish.

"We will find that the numbers of individuals between the ages of zero to 20 will decrease, whereas the number of individuals between the ages of 45-65 and older will increase," Dr. Minnis said last week.

Meantime, the World Bank said data suggests that the number of English-speaking CARICOM trained nurses working in Canada, the UK and the US is about 21,500, which is about three times higher than the workforce in the English-speaking CARICOM.

"The new World Bank report also points to high demand for nurse education but low completion rates (55 percent) as a challenge and an opportunity in tackling nurse shortages," the report said. "Having more nurse tutors available, maximizing completion rates and accepting more students into programs would significantly bolster the number of new nurses entering the health system."

To meet the demand for nurses in the English-speaking Caribbean, the report suggests Caribbean countries increase training capacity; manage migration; strengthen data quality and availability; and adopt a regional approach.

"Given the size and the linkages of local nurse labor markets, no country in the region is in a position to efficiently tackle the challenges ahead on its own," the report said. "Therefore, countries should ideally join forces and adopt a regional approach to increasing training capacity, managing migration and strengthening the evidence-base, if possible, with technical and financial support from countries where a large part of their nurse workforce will tend to migrate to Canada, the UK and the US."

Dr. Minnis said The Ministry of Health is already working to alleviate the problem. According to him there are currently 127 high school students participating in his ministry's nursing program. He added that the ministry is looking to launch a program for junior high school students.

He said the government has provided 53 scholarships for students studying nursing. Additionally, he said there are 155 nursing students in The College of The Bahamas.

The English-speaking Caribbean includes Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.

March 08, 2010

thenassauguardian

Bahamas Blog International