Language could pose problem for Cuban nurses says DNA President

Felix thinks language could pose a problem

President of the Dominica Nursing Association (DNA), Rosie Felix has said that language barriers could create serious implications as it relates to Cuban nurses who will soon be deployed to Dominica.

Last week Health Minister Dr. Kenneth Darroux announced that 20 Cuban nurses will be coming to Dominica “almost immediately” because of an acute shortage of nurses in Dominica due to migration.

According to Felix language may be a problem for the nurses who are coming from a Spanish speaking country.

“When there is a language barrier, it decreases the quality of your delivery. It increases risk for medication error, it increases risk of the nurses not understanding the doctors,” she said. “If you are not fluent in English how will you understand the order written in English? How are you going to document care that you give?”

She said interpreters might be necessary but that could be costly.

“So that has serious implications and unless there are interpreters which would be a very costly thing for the Ministry of Health,” she stated.

Felix further mentioned that the other thing is to only recruit nurses who are proficient in English.

“The Dominica Nursing Council has a role to play in that,” she stated. “They are the licensing body of nurses and I have the confidence that they will only license nurses who are fluent in English, may they from Cuba or Venezuela or Mexico wherever.”

Statistics show that a number of nurses left Dominica following the passage of Hurricane Maria last September, sparking concerns that this might have an effect on health delivery on the island.

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37 Comments

  1. n
    May 10, 2018

    But all our doctors studied in Cuba so what is the problem?

    • Yes I
      May 10, 2018

      N, not all.many of them but not all

    • notinterestedintheleast soft drink
      May 14, 2018

      Not all, some un the states, some at UWI some in the EU. choose your words wisely for they all have meanings and implications, especially if you are around impressionable people who know no better.

  2. Matrix Reloaded
    May 10, 2018

    I see no reason why cuban Nurses who are well trained cannot function efectively in Dominica. Most medical technical terminologies are universal or easy to understand. The foreign nurses I think should be teamed up with local nurses on their routine work schedule so both can learn from each other and reduce the impact of the language barrier on nurses and patient. Although foreigh imported nurses is not the solution to the nursing situation in Dominica, it will definitely help to alleviate the immediate need for nurses.
    Dominica Nurses need better renumeration-to reflect nurses salaries regionally and internationally-, more incentives, better working conditions and a reward mechanism for hard work and achievements.
    I hope the PS who was also a nurse and the Minister in the ministry of health is taking positive steps to remedy the situation and avoid creating a Brain drain of skilled nurses in the country. As Asa Bantan coined “We doe want no Foreigh Gal…”

  3. We Afraid
    May 10, 2018

    That’s good at least one person is not afraid of Skerrit. The majority of Dominicans including Blackmoore and all Ministers, police, doctors, lawyers the media, journalists and others, are all afraid of Skerrit and will say nothing as they watch Dominica tumble before their eyes

  4. CHUCKSTER
    May 10, 2018

    Spanish people speak English it is our second language, HELLO!!!!!

  5. Amino
    May 10, 2018

    Perhaps we should all return to the British and have the Queen as our head of state, where any and all nurses could come from England and speak English and we would all benefit from investment in the most up to date state of the art medical facilities, like the French in Martinique, that way noone would have to be sent to other islands for treatment – we would also have further investment in the islands infrastructure etc etc…. just a thought – please comment as you wish :)

  6. Get your facts
    May 9, 2018

    It is amazing and really stupid that in this day and age that the nurses believe that cuban nurses can’t speak English.
    Lady get your fact ,cuban speak better English than Dominicans. Most have an American accent .
    So chill.
    These people has been doing medical missions all around the world.
    So that is not an issue. All cuban Medical students take English at University level.
    So please Get your facts ,before you make yourself look Stupid and Uneducated.
    Be positive.
    Stop PUTTING Professionals like yourself down.

    • WAPAP
      May 10, 2018

      Agreed, they think Cuba does just send professionals on missions without prior conditioning and language training. SMH

    • Mwen mem!!
      May 10, 2018

      Lol that’s not true, I have worked with Cuban doctors and translations had to be done on the spot. Sometimes they used their phones to say what they mean. Smh it’s going to be challenging and frustrating for both sides.

  7. entel
    May 9, 2018

    President dont be moved we standing with you,

  8. My bad
    May 9, 2018

    All I will say on this is, language barrier will not be a problem with Skerrit’s wife and family since they have the best of health care n NY, where they reside. He secured his family and who cares about the rest. But then again Skerrit does not care about all you as long as he can use all you to make his millions.

  9. out of south city
    May 9, 2018

    Sister Felix, I really like your afro. Takes me back to the 70’s. Keep up your natural look. Wish more of the sisters would wear their natural hair and allow their scalp to breathe.
    PEACE (HOTEP)

  10. Zandoli
    May 9, 2018

    The government allowed the nursing shortage to deteriorate to the point where they had to import 20 Spanish speaking nurses immediately. Talk about planning or should I say lack thereof.
    This government always seems to be operating in crisis mode.

  11. May 9, 2018

    Felix further mentioned that the other thing is to only recruit nurses who are proficient in English–News article.

    Well that should be the only way that this implementation can be possible; so what are you crying about?

    • Elizabeth, if these so called Cuban nurses are not fluent in English, how are they going to communicate with people who only speaks English, or patios?

      There was a similar situation in Antigua, where things turned ugly when a Cuban charged nurse was almost beaten to death,by an Antiguan nurse. When they go into peoples country, cant speak English, yet they like to take over and step on the natives, talk to then like dogs.

      You had better be careful that life’s are not lost in the hospital they work. The Cuban doctors too are waste of time, they are “don’t know squat.” Two of them were getting ready to cut a man open claiming the man had cancer!

      It is a lucky thing the man knew a Dominica doctor out here, who advised him to come to America for a second opinion; he came only to find out he does not have cancer. What the Cuban idiots saw were dark spots caused by untreated diabetes over a long period! 

  12. Tobby
    May 9, 2018

    when someone goes to china and study the have to learn their language within one year same as Cuba, so Dominican are not saying they cant speak the language so the doesn’t accept the scholarship. So I found this to be very silly. There is nothing mean Can’t. Everything is possible.

  13. Rajah
    May 9, 2018

    Hire some translators such as recent high school graduates who took Spanish. They should be good candidates for those jobs. Think outside the box.

    • Cee
      May 9, 2018

      I suspect you in a box, if you believe high school graduates, after having taking Spanish at CXC level can translate at that level.

      • Ibo France
        May 9, 2018

        Good response Cee. It is most amusing reading some of these comments especially the two immediately above yours. I don’t wish to say anything disparaging about them but their sense of reason is sadly lacking. No wonder so many of them are so easily misled by unscrupulous politicians. Commonsense is not so common.

    • Music Producer
      May 10, 2018

      How is the much incompetent DLP going to pay imported nurses, plus translators, when they could not even pay local nurses enough to retain them? 8-O 8-O 8-O

  14. Jokers
    May 9, 2018

    Does she know that they can’t speak English? Many Spanish pple speak fluent English. Daaaaa

  15. prophet for a profit
    May 9, 2018

    It could be. But from my experience, Cuban nurses are very capable and some do speak English. This is from spending some time in the main hospital in Havana Cuba. And if they cant’t they made sure to find someone who could. they were very courteous and always said good morning and smiled. Now i do understand the seriousness of the language barrier if there is one, but is this just an excuse from Rosie Felix to not accept the assistance offered from Cuba? Keep in mind that they are offering to help us. They are doing US a the favor.

    • Non
      May 9, 2018

      They’re doing us a favour, great. However, we need to ensure that we do have standards when it comes to healthcare. I don’t think Miss Felix is against having nurses from Cuba brought in. Like any professional who’s worth his or her salt, she simply wants to ensure that quality service will be given. In order for that to happen, we do need to ensure that nurses are proficient in English. It is necessary in order to administer drugs and certain tests etc.

  16. Sams
    May 9, 2018

    I don’t no if is wicked we Dominicans or if is stupid that is letting us no the people in charge of da starting on pm first don’t care all men there for there pocket from Chinese to Spanish we finish da is for sale and has sold next pm is Chinese

  17. Music Producer
    May 9, 2018

    LOL, this is what Dominica Labor Party has been reduced to? What about paying Dominica nurses to stay? It’s a done deal, Dominica has crumbled beneath the weight of the egoistic politicians and their ignorance of what being independent truly is. i feel sorry for those that can’t get out of there.

    • Da passports
      May 9, 2018

      It’s look real bad, Sadly not everybody can leave… I’m certain if everybody had a chance to leave Dominica the population would be 18 or how many cabinet ministers that there :roll:

  18. Aa
    May 9, 2018

    I Cannot even Spell so don’t mind me!

  19. Aa
    May 9, 2018

    They should be able to learn english in a year. By then We might need fourty of Them and a larger psychiatric unit to put all the patients who Might go crazy

  20. May 9, 2018

    U are quite right lady. That is what I encountered when I came to visit a patient at the PMH. The Spanish nurse could not understand me when I ask for a simple request for the patient, i got frustrated and left.I am concerned that patients might receive the wrong medication and that can increase more deaths from a simple illness.And even if they speak English it might just be the basic survival English which is called BICS not the accademecal English.

    • May 9, 2018

      Your negative reaction is the reason this article should not be posted here in the first place. It simply provokes the negative minds of people like you. But what are you talking about “Spanish nurse” anyway? The nurses are not yet at the hospital.

      • A. George
        May 11, 2018

        There are already Cubans to the hospital ma’am. Those I have encountered do speak English but with a very strong accent. Someone who is not familiar may not understand. That’s the reality. So don’t be so quick to judge another persons actual experience with your mere opinion.

  21. Ibo France
    May 9, 2018

    The language could be an impediment between the Cuban nurses and the English speaking health practitioners (local nurses & doctors). If the Cuban nurses are all fluent in English that should take care of this real concern. The recruitment of foreign nurses doesn’t nullify the need t for the preferable retention of the local nurses and for their salaries to be topped up. Their salaries should be commensurate with the magnitude and importance of their jobs plus their qualifications.

  22. May 9, 2018

    We are doom, no paracitamals, no English, no cat scan, no nothing [labor ka twavi] what is the status on the so call new hospital ?.

    • piece of peace
      May 9, 2018

      blame the fact that Dominicans want to pay squat for health services received… spoiled bunch of cry babies! We literally walk in and out this hospital for free and at the same time expect top of the line infrastructure, service and medicine…

      Oh … add to that that we don’t want to pay a dollar added tax ( many hardly pay any tax anyway) yet expect the most expensive of services from the public service!

  23. Jheri
    May 9, 2018

    This is getting interesting

    • WAPAP
      May 10, 2018

      All the Cuban Medical professionals who assists on missions in different parts of the world must learn the native language of the country where they are assigned to. Further I do not see the Cuban nurses as a replacement to our nurses but simply here to provide assistance to the Health Sector.

      Nonetheless the Government still needs to increase salaries and benefits to nurses, teachers and most of our professionals. It just a shame when compared to the other OECS or even Caribbean Islands. If not I guess they will have to go to Red Clinic to beg for assistance to build a home, to send their child to school etc.

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