As GNA celebrates 90 years… Govt. urged to put measures in place to retain nurses

Aug 21, 2018 News

A section of the gathering at the opening of the GNA conference yesterday

Nurses and midwives account for nearly 50 percent of the health workforce.
In fact of the 43.5 million health workers in the world, it is estimated that 20.7 million are nurses and midwives. However, 50 percent of the World Health Organisation’s member states report that they have less than three nursing and midwifery professionals per 100,000 population.
This state of affairs was yesterday underscored by President of the Guyana Nurses Association [GNA], Ms. Cleopatra Barkoye.
According to Barkoye, “there is a shortage of nursing personnel in this region [and] the shortage is primarily attributed to migration of professionals to other regions”.
Barkoye disclosed yesterday, too, that the evident situation has been linked to the different levels of economic development in countries, precarious employment conditions, human resource policies for health workers, including nurses, and a lack of professional regulations.
As such she stated the GNA’s position that “We as an Association raise our voices to propel our government to favour methods of retention to keep the best of the best and receive first our own Guyanese nurses.”
As she gave credence to the substantial role of nursing professionals, Barkoye, noted that “they play an important role in the care focused on people and communities”. In fact, she noted that in many countries they act as leaders or key members of the multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary health team.
“They provide a wide range of services at all levels of the health care system,” Barkoye added. The GNA President vocalized her conviction yesterday as she delivered remarks at the commencement of a conference to mark the 90th anniversary celebration of the GNA.
The conference being dubbed a ‘Global Guyanese nurses’ Reunion’ opened at the Kingston, Georgetown Pegasus Hotel yesterday and is expected to continue today with educational sessions at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre. The conference is being held under the theme: ‘Uniting forces, uplifting nursing – celebrating 90 years with pride’.
Even as the GNA gears to advance its work it is expected to continue to embrace the motto ‘heart and hands united, lifting as we climb’. The mission of the Association is to “advance the status of nursing as a profession through capacity building and improved public image and the maintenance of quality nursing services and care to clients”.
With the foregoing in mind, the conference has attracted many local nurses and several from the Diaspora too, some of whom have been offering sustained support to nursing in Guyana over the years.
Among the visiting nurses who addressed the forum yesterday were veteran nurses Lynette Phillips and Betty Why of the Association of Guyanese Nurses and Allied Professionals [AGNAP] in the United Kingdom. The conference also saw representation from the Guyanese Nurses Association of America Inc. in the person of Dr. Jacqueline Gulstone. Mrs. Trecia Hubbard represented for the Caribbean Nurses Organisation.
The event was also graced by a number of officials, including patron of GNA, Dr. Holly Alexander; Chief Executive Officer of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, Brigadier [Ret’d] George Lewis; President of the Guyana Public Service Union, Mr. Patrick Yarde and Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Shamdeo Persaud.
Although President David Granger was invited to deliver the feature address at the opening of the event yesterday it was Minister of Education, Ms. Nicolette Henry who aptly filled the gap.
In her address, she said that much like teachers, nurses are professionals who are cut from a different cloth. As she amplified the importance of nursing, Minister Henry not only commended the role that nurses play, but that of midwives as well.

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