Shortage of Nurses and Medical Professionals

While a new polyclinic in Belmopan was officially launched today, there is presently a shortage of nurses and medical professionals. It’s a global issue for which Belize has not been spared. Minister of Health and Wellness Kevin Bernard says that the ministry is encouraging Belizean medical professionals to apply for available jobs and says that they are also looking outside of Belize to source this much needed human resource.

Kevin Bernard

Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health & Wellness

“The only issue we are still trying to battle with is the human resource is identified and properly staffed. We have been putting out ads for doctors, for nurses and other specialised areas, so we know those are challenges that will come. With a new facility, there is great expectations and we want to ensure that with all the equipment commitments that we have to put in this, the dental services and other services that we want to ensure is provided here, it is for us to be able to improve delivery of service to our people, especially in health. It’s regional, it’s countrywide, it is worldwide, but we have to find ways how to attract people into the public health system. We have to look at, in recent meetings we’ve had with the nurses association is to look at how we can bond our people who are sent out to study for longer periods and as well looking at the compendium of allowances. So everybody, as you know, we have to be able to have a good incentive in order for them to be retained because people are coming and taking our people – for better improvements of course – but at the end of the day we have a great set of healthcare workers here, we provide a great service. And now we as the government must just ensure that we can keep and retain these people from having to lose them to the United States and the United Kingdom or so forth. But we are also looking at other areas, our region, Nicaragua being a close area, where we are trying to get through bilateral means, access to some other nurses who can fill the gaps that we have that exist in Belize. But the commitment is that we are going to ensure that we continuously look at ways how to improve so that we can retain our nurses and our doctors. And I encourage those who are out there looking for a job and there is a need for that post in our facilities across the country, apply and we will hire you.”