Salary increase for nurses before year end, Health Ministry says

(Department of Public Information)  Following much deliberation and representation being made in the interest of nurses, they can now expect a pay raise before the end of 2019. This was hinted at by Permanent Secretary (PS) of the Ministry of Public Health, Colette Adams who noted that this is ‘good news’ for the nurses.

“The Ministry of Public Health takes nursing and the nursing profession seriously. We looked at all of the demands, and we try to fix what we can, and I want to bring good news to you nurses, and that is you will have your increase in salary.”

Adams was at the time speaking to nurses in Region 6 at the first of events in observances of Nurses week 2019.

Adams assured that the ministry has long sought to have this particular issue resolved. She added that while nurses stand to benefit, the increase will be applied to all health care workers in the public health system.

“This increase is because we lobbied, we talked, we took your cases where it was ought to be heard and we were successful and I want to say this is not only for the nurses, but for all health care workers, because we are looking to spread the increases across the board the doctors, the nurses even to the Assistant Nurses and Patient Care Assistants.”

Added to this, the PS said that this is just the beginning of a push to safeguard the future of the nursing profession in Guyana. More specifically, the ministry is looking to have more specialised nurses in the system.

Further, Adams noted that as the health sector develops there is an increasing demand for complex nursing care especially at secondary health care institutions and the only tertiary-main referral in Guyana, the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

“When we put a nurse in the theatre, that nurse would have had that training to perform all the theatre work. We are not looking at nurses generally anymore, the world is changing and we have to look to have a more diverse and developed nursing profession… nurses will be paid across the board according to their professional training.”

It was stressed that even as the ministry seeks to do more for the nursing profession, a higher level of service is expected. “If we are going to pay you better, serve us better.”