The Antigua and Barbuda Government has again defended its decision to recruit health workers from Ghana, saying the move is aimed at addressing serious staffing challenges within the country’s healthcare system.
Health Minister Sir Molwyn Joseph, speaking at a news conference flanked by senior ministry officials, said the shortage of nurses has long affected the delivery of healthcare services.
“As you can appreciate, if you have nurses who are overworked or burnt out, then this compromises patient care. We now have an opportunity to fix this issue and I want to thank the permanent secretary and the technical team for the valuable input they gave to this exercise,” Sir Molwyn said.
He noted that the country has consistently struggled to maintain an adequate number of nurses, leading to public concerns about burnout and excessive workloads among existing staff. According to the minister, the decision to recruit nurses from Ghana is intended to directly address those challenges.
The Gaston Browne administration last week announced that it had agreed to contract more than 100 nurses from Ghana, while maintaining that it has not formally ended its long-standing programme of recruiting health professionals from Cuba to work within Antigua and Barbuda’s healthcare system.
The announcement comes amid renewed pressure from the United States for Caribbean nations to end their health cooperation with Cuba. Washington has said it “stands with those affected and continues to work for an end to the Cuban regime’s exploitative labour practices”.
A statement issued following the weekly Cabinet meeting said the Government welcomes “the arrival of 120 nurses from the Republic of Ghana expected over the weekend of January 23, 2026, who will serve within the public healthcare system of Antigua and Barbuda”.
“Minister of Health, Sir Molwyn Joseph, announced that these nurses will be deployed primarily at the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre, as well as within community health clinics and schools, thereby enhancing both hospital-based and community-level healthcare delivery,” the Cabinet statement added.
Sir Molwyn told the news conference that the recruitment initiative is intended to resolve a critical weakness in the healthcare system and expressed confidence that once the full complement of nurses is deployed, longstanding concerns will be alleviated.
The healthcare system requires an estimated 400 nurses to adequately meet demand. At present, there are 260 local nurses, 33 Cuban nurses and 120 Ghanaian nurses expected to arrive this month.
Permanent Secretary for Health Stacey Gregg-Paige, who led the delegation to Ghana, said the recruitment exercise was carried out in collaboration with the Government of Ghana and is governed by a memorandum of understanding and a service agreement.
“Both instruments were comprehensively reviewed and vetted by the Ministry of Legal Affairs, confirmed to be consistent with Antigua and Barbuda’s legal, regulatory and policy framework, and formally accepted by the Government of Ghana.
“Accordingly, this initiative is lawful, transparent and structured, and operates fully within established public service, regulatory and immigration requirements,” she said.
Gregg-Paige explained that the recruitment mission took place in Accra from September 16 to 22 last year under the Ghana Labour Exchange Programme, in collaboration with the Ministry of Special Initiatives in the Office of the President.
She said 190 applications were received, with 32 rejected due to incomplete documentation or ineligibility. A total of 158 candidates were interviewed through a structured, competency-based process, and 127 were selected for vetting by the Antigua and Barbuda Nursing Council.
Medical Director of the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre, Dr Shivon Belle-Jarvis, said a three-week orientation programme has been planned for the incoming nurses.
“It’s important to understand that anyone going into a system has to go through an onboarding process whether you are coming from within the local system or from abroad,” she said.
