The Ministry of Health has expressed concerns over the number of nurses who have left Dominica since the passage of Hurricane Maria last September.
According to figures from the ministry, some 14 nurses including retirees departed the island since the hurricane.
In 2017, a total of 14 nurses including retirees also left the island.
This is a total of 28 nurses and officials fear this could have an impact on health services on the island.
Health Minister, Dr. Kenneth Darroux said, some nurses have been working extraordinary hours.
“We know that we’ve had quite a bit of nurses leaving, some nurses are working extraordinary hours to make the place function,” he said on Wednesday.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Davis Letang, said the matter is of great concern because before Maria, “we were already stretched.”
He stated that with 14 nurses leaving, “it is a significant number.”
In 2016, then Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Helen Royer, expressed the need for more nurses in the healthcare system in Dominica.
She stated that despite the government’s efforts to ensure the improvement and welfare of nurses, the void for more nurses remains due to increased demands brought about by the changing dynamics of healthcare.
This has nothing to do with money. Dominican nurses have always left in droves, Maria just created an opportunity
I must say Dominican nurses are severely underpaid and overworked…..there should be job security strategies in place…incentives and a stable collective agreement implemented.. ..at $900US monthly…thats insane…thats a week’s work…and YES THE GRASS IS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE….
in Canada.. .nurses..both RON and RN get anywhere between $4000 to 6000 dollars ….and all international nurses need to do is bring their credentials.. …pass the board exams and voila ….u are eligible to work with permit …BOOM…
It’s high time that nurses ,teachers ,police and all other public servants stop working under these rogues posing as government,until they fall!!!
While nurses are leaving in droves the Dominica State College continues to block the student nurses from starting the BSC program. This clearly shows that the college doesn’t understand its role in the Dominican society.The nursing program should be in full stream to prevent this crisis that is looming. PM Skerrit investigate the college as to why it is not currently running the BSC in nursing program. Heads should roll. Please Please My PM
There will always be scape goats.
If it is not Maria is the State College.
What happened to the over 150 nurses that were trained by the college over a 4 year period not too long ago? Certainly Maria did not blow them away.
Only 28 these nurses not serious. The numbers should be at least 3 times that. Is not skerrit and his cabal alone that must know money. Pay them well if you all want them to stay! Wicked set of good for nothing DLP!
no sense.everything is skerrit?i hope they get more money
Seriously?!?!? and YOU ALL FOCUSING GOOD NURSES TO RETIRE! CHECK YOURSELF WASTE OF TIME Ministry of Health
Another example of how blind the Government is..they not seeing and comparing anything regionally. The Majority of Dominicans can hardly live but the Ministers can’t feel it, ’cause they are padded with all allowances and big salary plus …………….
You all blind to not know there is a shortage of nurses everywhere, so there is a high probability that nurses will fly away if the salary and conditions remain meagre..Magwsa!!..A set of dunce and clueless people running the country for almost 20 years.Think of all the other skilled and trained professionals that left!!..At least they see something before the Country empty..this particularly is sickening because so many people leaving, the Gov’t can at least do some retrospection and try and make things better for Dominicans. If anybody say DA doing good now, He is an Enemy of Progress. For the love of Country put all you pride down and make way!!..
what is really wrong with you?
Politicians do not have to worry about nurses or medical care, all they have to do is get on a plane or call for a helicopter to land at Canfield airport and fly away to another country to get help. especially the politicians high up in government. They do this at taxpayers expense.
I feel sorry for you all honestly.
Everyone’s hitting on grass is greener grass is greener on the outside. suddenly it occurred to me DA does not have GRASS since September 18th 2017 let alone green or greener. If one needs Grass it can only be found outside of DA for now.
greener and when they go is drain they cleaning?
If only Royer , Darroux & other pen & paper pushers put down their pens 2 days / week then we would not feel the departure of the 14 as it is felt currently
Put more money into their pockets and I can assure you, they will stay. I indirectly threatened my boss that I would quit unless they paid me more. They valued my services and I got a significant increase in my salary. Money talks.
Your boss Skerrit recently called port worker greedy, and you are now concerned about nurses leaving? You cannot have it both ways.
shut up.i have been at pmh on several occasions with my child and the treatment that I saw nurses give a child made him worse than when he was admitted.most of the nurses work for their money.some of them dunce like fly.since they reach work their eyes on the clock.some of those doctors self if they had feeling for people maybe they would think differently.most of them have very sick patients depending on them and they won’t even at least call them up to come for a check up with their money when the doctors come for a week or so.as long as they are there.heartless
When nurses are getting injured at work and policies in place to take care of her, should she stay?? When a loans officer laughs at her salary ,should she stay? When she can’t even afford a piece of land far less for a mortgage, should she stay? I mean being abused by patients and relatives, bashed on the radio, going to bed crying at someone you don’t even know diagnosis, yet she feels unappreciated , is it worth staying! Give your nurses health insurance they are at great risk! Listen to them because you might just lose all of them
The few of us who remain in the system, we are falling on our faces… The government will have to start to import nurses Wii pal, but then again, who will come to Dominica to work for that kinda money? Jah! Give us courage!
Nurse must leave, why because they not appreciated by their employers and the public by extension. Nurses sacrifice a lot to ensure that patients cares are met. Nurses families suffer, their homes fall apart just to name a few just so to ensure that the sick has someone to care for them. The nurse has a life to she has a mortgage just like everyone else; the nurse deserves a vacation as well. They can’t make ends meet with the current salaries they receive and the incentives are next to nothing. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. If the nurse leaves is because she needs to take care of herself and her family and she is unable to do so here. The Government needs to come better than that to keep this very important human resource or another agency will indeed take them away with better benefits not just for them but their families. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH…
There is an issue that no one who is commenting on here nor the officals are touching either and they are very aware of what the situation is. Yes there needs to be a re assessment if the pay that nurses receive in Dominica but another key issue is you cannot have nurses working for you and they have no job security. Why is the process for securing appointment to the government service so hostile?? Which person in thier right mind will stay in that mess? This is the problem. FIX IT!!!
steps for preventing nurses to leave 1 : increase the allowrances do not taxe it
2: increase the session do not tax it
3: increase the night nourishment but do not tax it
4: provide transportation for nurses leaving the late shift .(1pm to 8 pm)
5: lower the interest rate at the banks or other financial business, especially
those with mortgages
Skerritt, and the so call chief medical , most go. PERIOD where is the new hospital he promise years ago?.
The hospital is being built. Are you blind? Hurricane devastated the island, so I guess there are damages done to the hospital under construction. Get off your lazy backside and go see what you can do to help rebuild the country and stop being so damn negative. Each time I read your post, it’s just stupidity you talking about. Acting like you lack knowledge
We heard it 5 years ago that the hospital is being built. Nothing is happening. It’s the same old with the Skerrit administration, the talk the talk but don’t walk the walk!
You is a workers wii you
you dat la po gabwit there you must be sitting on your eyes your jack*************
do not tax the allowrances also
My opinion,….Nurses and teachers should be the highest paid in Dominica! Fail them, the nation is finished!
Real truth so by ur statement and the reailty e finir bat deja !lol
I concur it;s the absplute thruth
absolute truth sorry/pardon
When workers/employees are treated well by their company or institution, they usually give of their best. Conversely, if they are treated shabbily, they would not be motivated to stay. Nurses paycheck is not commensurate with their arduous tasks. They work long, unholy hours of the night, deal with mangled bodies and gruesome injuries. Yet they live from paycheck to paycheck. Nurses and teachers should be better compensated financially and otherwise for their herculean efforts.
Wasn’t our P.M a so called teacher?( Jokes/pon intended) he should know better. I am still not convinced he was or more so listening to him pathology aside. Darroux is a doc. CMO & Dr,Christmas are Ahfouawee but as per being from Ahfouahweeland Skerrt & LL say they are on the wrong side of the political fence
They to lazy so what u all talking about when they on phone and forget about patients two police pay is to high some of them working for the government for years and don’t file tax especially those young police officer if they don’t file and pay proper taxes where the government taking the money
This is ignorance at its best, indecipherable gibberish. Both nurses and teachers are all important. They give invaluable service to this country. They (mass majority) should be held in the highest esteem. These caregivers and nation builders should be compensated handsomely for their exemplary work. Only an unenlightened creature would vilify hardworking nurses and teachers.
Passport sales Joker Sam what R U thinking?
Up till now, no where in that article said about incentive for nurses. Island in the region paying up to 10 grand a month whereas dominica offering nurses a measly 2 grand. Allu expect them to stay? Other than that wards always full, medication none available, verbal abuse and threats from family and patients blaming nurses for lack of resources. Really? I agree with the nurses! Go self!!
U should get certified so u can go and make 10 grand to. Blah blah blah
10 grand per month? That’s a lot. Those islands must have a lot of money
Is the gov’t moreso the/our So call P.M’s statement holding much water? Go to hell go 2 hell working a reflex action there? hey go to heaven /greener pastures?
the ignorants say stay to build your country or the grass is not greener on the other side or as SHE said, “all that glitters is not gold”, while she waits to see those who strive to succeed fall or run back home with nothing. . i want to let them all know that i was treated like s*** in Dominica and now i left, the salary is doubled, the opportunities are greater, the cost is living is almost the same , most things i need is cheaper, the grass is greener, and yes all that glitters is friggin gold.
I agree with the nurses, its high time Dominica improve the working conditions and also the pay . People treat nurses like any ordinary Joe . and even complain about them and their work . You want people to work and they fighting for survival themselves. struggling as if they didn’t have a Job. Yes nurses look for ourselves. Govt officials looking for themselves . have big mansion and you all have house still uncovered , no money .
Paying scale 85,000.00 –100,000.00 united states dollars, (US) PER YEAR ,PLUS ALLOWANCE.
KNOW YOUR WORTH NURSES.
dominica nurses GET $ 900.00 US PER MONTH ($10,800.00 PER YEAR )
Dear Medard et Al
Give the nurses 2 passports.yr to sell a bonus that would be better than what the nurse WONDER WHY? stated. The passport pushing lawyers counsels / sr, intermediate Jrs,business families family & friend former bankers etc cops wives( just o give a general knowledge idea) have huge homes *houses not homes my bad)( and other real estate.Just as in the case of the waiver Skerrit could have just witdrew the waiver cost from any of his foreign bank accts. True or false?
It does not help when highly trained nurses see thousands being doled out by government to bogus farmers for political reasons, who don’t even pay tax. You think that motivates our nurses?
I understand those nurses. Their concern is not only low pay, lack of career development and appreciation. There is also a frustration at not being able to look after patients properly, as they have been trained, mainly through lack of resources and equipment.
I also know of a number of other Dominicans leaving the island because of an absence of adequate medical care. Would the P.M. have himself or his family treated at the P.M.H.? We have to be honest with ourselves and admit shortcomings and failings if we are serious about remedying them. There is too much denial and blame passing going one right now instead of fixing things.
When the nurses are not treated well , what you expect have to seek greener pasture. Like the police who want to leave the force after an interview he went for in a neighbouring and was transferred for with to Laplaine.
The PS in health and the government of Dominica is not delivering to expectation to the health sector so it has to crumble, the nurses and other health official have to migrate because they are not treated fairly. Nurses have to be on the roadside to go to and from work at late nite.
Well, I’m not surprised. These Govt workers were overworked and underpaid. The national Health Scheme should have been implemented so that the healthcare system can sustain itself. Come on. We need to move to the next level. The grass is greener on the other side from what I understood.
They are concerned,the nurses are right,incompetent government,move on,Dominica is doomed.
incompetent government… YES!!!
Dominica is not doomed. We are blessed and will be great so keep this negative comments
S.M.A you do tierd see misery ?
You are contradicting yourself. Of course Dominica is doomed with this incompetent government. We can not be blessed with that devil on our back.