Hon.Irving McIntyre, Minister of Health, Wellness and New Health Investment said that while a shortage of nurses is a worldwide issue, the Government of Dominica is committed to recruit and retain nurses on the island.

He said, “The Ministry has placed emphasis on the recruitment and training on all categories of staff to include nurses. We are aware of the shortage of nurses not only in Dominica but globally as well and hence all effort continues in trying to fill the gap that exist in the nursing workforce”.

The Minister remarked that it has not been an easy task to recruit and retain nurses, “since nurses are a scarce but essential human resource all over the world”.

He said that the Government is in the process of restructuring the nursing service and creating nursing positions to allow for upward mobility within the service.

According to the Minister,   there are approximately 328 nurses in the healthcare system both public and private.